Return of Meth to drug scene prompts concern from police
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

A major methamphetamine bust last week could mean a vicious, highly-addictive drug may plague the streets of El Campo in a major way not seen since the 1970s.

As reported in the last edition of the Leader-News, 49-year-old Jim Leroy Phillips was arrested on charges of possession of 80 grams of methamphetamine Thursday, after the Wharton County District Attorney's Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant at his 906 Ave. C home. Police reportedly found four digital scales, just over $1,000 in cash and several firearms in the home of the convicted felon.

"It's been years since we got this large of an amount of methamphetamine," El Campo Police Chief Jim Elliott said.

Eighty grams of the drug, which is sold by the gram or half gram at $200 per gram, totals a street value of about $16,000.

"Back in '77 or '78, we had quite a bit of methamphetamine here," Elliott said. "We executed about 10 search warrants and seized methamphetamine, but not in quantities like that. Eighty grams is a huge amount for El Campo."

He said methamphetamine could be attractive to drug users who currently seem to favor crack cocaine, another highly-addictive stimulant which is smoked, as is meth.

Once cheap crack cocaine appeared on the scene in WEhxepne the early '80s, it seemed to replace methamphetamine as the new favorite of hard-core addicts.

"Crack really was the drug of choice here for a long time," Elliott said.

Methamphetamine can be made from easy-to-obtain ingredients, most of which can be bought almost anywhere. Large operations produce methamphetamine in Mexico and California. Outside of these areas, small rural laboratories are more common.

The key ingredient of methamphetamine is ephedrine, a controlled substance. Because it is difficult to obtain ephedrine, drug dealers use pseudoephedrine, found in many over-thecounter cold medicines.

The drug's return to the area may be part of a trend, Elliott said.

"We've heard methamphetamines were around again," Elliott said. "It's a trend that's been prevalent in the north and in other parts of Texas, and it's slowly trickling down this way."

The reappearance of the drug is alarming, the chief said.

"Any of the illegal drugs is a concern, but this is so devastating to the user's health, and the addiction is very difficult to stop," he said. "The user has absolutely no idea of what's been included in its manufacture."

The problems that result from such an addictive drug are also of concern.

"When they become addicted, they WEhxepne cYt!ou have to have a money source to purchase it," he said. "They're either going to steal to support their habit, or work to support it, and they will be a dysfunctional worker because of the harm methamphetamine does to their health. Meth addicts are easy to identify in public. They all have the same characteristics: sunken eyes, open sores. It just eats them up."

Elliott hopes the work of the task force, and last Thursday's raid give drug suppliers a good idea they won't be tolerated.

"I think it's made a good statement, as far as the seizure of such a large amount," he said.