Methamphetamine

National Drug Intelligence Center
North Carolina Drug Threat Assessment
April 2003

Methamphetamine is an increasing threat to North Carolina. Law enforcement authorities in areas of western North Carolina report that methamphetamine has replaced crack cocaine in some counties as the principal drug threat because it is increasingly available and abused, is less expensive, and produces longer-lasting effects. The number of methamphetamine-related federal sentences increased dramatically from FY1996 through FY2000. Most of the methamphetamine available in North Carolina is produced in Mexico, California, and southwestern states using the hydriodic acid/red phosphorus method and transported into the state. Small quantities of the drug are produced in North Carolina, particularly in western counties, using the Birch reduction and iodine/red phosphorus methods. The number of methamphetamine laboratories seized each year by law enforcement authorities has increased since 1999. Mexican and Caucasian criminal groups and OMGs transport methamphetamine into the state from Mexico, California, and southwestern states and are the dominant wholesale distributors of the drug. Mexican and Caucasian criminal groups as well as Caucasian local independent dealers, OMGs, and methamphetamine producers are the dominant retail distributors of the drug.

Abuse

Methamphetamine abuse is increasing in North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the number of methamphetamine-related treatment admissions increased from 57 in FY1996 to 135 in FY1999. During that period methamphetamine-related treatment admissions were outnumbered by admissions associated with abuse of cocaine, marijuana, and heroin.

Table 6. Methamphetamine-Related Treatment Admissions, North Carolina, FY1996-FY1999
Fiscal Year	Admissions
1996	57
1997	69
1998	130
1999	136

Source: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Most methamphetamine abusers in North Carolina are Caucasians living in rural areas. Generally, rates of methamphetamine abuse are highest in western North Carolina, which is mostly rural. Law enforcement officials in some western counties report that methamphetamine has replaced crack cocaine as the greatest drug threat. Law enforcement officers in McDowell County report that many crack abusers started abusing methamphetamine after law enforcement dismantled a large crack cocaine distribution ring in February 2000.

Stages of Methamphetamine Abuse

Methamphetamine abuse is characterized by three patterns of abuse: low intensity, binge, and high intensity. Low-intensity abusers usually swallow or snort methamphetamine as an appetite suppressant or to provide extra stimulation for work or play. Binge abusers smoke or inject methamphetamine and experience euphoric rushes that are highly addictive. The most dangerous stage of a binge cycle is known as tweaking. Typically, during this stage, the abuser has not slept in several days and is irritable and experiencing feelings of paranoia. The tweaker has an intense methamphetamine craving; however, no dosage will recreate the euphoric high the tweaker seeks. High-intensity abusers are the addicts often called speed freaks. Their goal is to prevent the crash associated with coming down from a methamphetamine high, but they experience declining euphoria each time they ingest methamphetamine due to increased tolerance.

Although methamphetamine is abused most commonly in rural areas, law enforcement officers report that young individuals at rave parties and nightclubs in urban areas also abuse methamphetamine. Young people are attracted to the drug because of its euphoric effects and because the drug can keep them awake for prolonged periods. The Raleigh Police Department, in response to the NDIC National Drug Threat Survey 2001, reports that methamphetamine primarily is abused by young individuals in that city.

The rate of methamphetamine abuse among adult male arrestees in North Carolina is low. According to ADAM data, approximately 1.4 percent of adult male arrestees in Charlotte in 2000 tested positive for methamphetamine.

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Availability

The availability of methamphetamine is increasing in North Carolina. Most of the methamphetamine available in the state is produced in Mexico by Mexican DTOs and in California and southwestern states by Mexican criminal groups. Mexican criminal groups transport methamphetamine into North Carolina. The Hickory Police Department, in response to the NDIC National Drug Threat Survey 2001, reports that the availability of methamphetamine transported into its jurisdiction by Mexican criminal groups is increasing.

The availability of methamphetamine produced in local laboratories in North Carolina also is increasing particularly in western counties. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation reports that the number of methamphetamine laboratories seized each year is increasing; law enforcement officers seized 15 laboratories from June 2000 to June 2001. Prior to 1999 officers seized only two to three methamphetamine laboratories per year.

Large Methamphetamine Seizure in Rowan County

In October 2001, federal and county law enforcement officials raided a mobile home in Rowan County and seized 27 pounds of methamphetamine, one of the largest seizures of the drug in North Carolina history. Seven individuals were arrested and charged with multiple drug offenses. The seven individuals are reported to be family members from Mexico, and an eighth suspect is believed to have fled to Mexico, officials said. Officials also seized 21 pounds of marijuana, two automobiles, a .45 caliber pistol, and $4,400 in cash.

Source: DEA; Rowan County Sheriff's Office.

Methamphetamine prices in North Carolina are relatively stable. According to local law enforcement, wholesale quantities of methamphetamine produced in Mexico and southwestern states sold for $12,000 to $15,000 per pound in 2001. Wholesale quantities of locally produced methamphetamine are not available in the state. At the retail level methamphetamine produced in Mexico, California, and southwestern states and in local laboratories sold for about $100 per gram in 2001.

The quantity of methamphetamine seized by federal law enforcement officers in North Carolina has remained relatively stable since 1998. Federal authorities seized 8 kilograms of methamphetamine in 1998, 5 kilograms in 1999, 5 kilograms in 2000, and 18 kilograms in 2001, according to FDSS data.

The number of methamphetamine-related federal sentences has increased significantly in North Carolina. Methamphetamine-related federal sentences ranked third behind cocaine and marijuana from FY1996 through FY2000. The number of methamphetamine-related federal sentences fluctuated from FY1996 through FY2000, according to USSC data. There were 16 federal sentences for methamphetamine-related offenses in FY1996, 31 in FY1997, 23 in FY1998, 30 in FY1999, and 60 in FY2000.

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Violence

Methamphetamine abusers in North Carolina have committed a number of domestic violence crimes including spousal abuse and child neglect. Methamphetamine abuse can induce anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, hallucinations, mood swings, and delusions. Abusers often commit violent crimes while in the binge cycle, known as tweaking. The tweaker's intense craving for more methamphetamine often leads to unpredictable behavior and violence. Law enforcement officers report that methamphetamine tweakers frequently are aggressive toward family members, physically harming their partners and children. Children of methamphetamine abusers or producers often are neglected or injured as a result of their parents' or guardians' addictions and lifestyles.

Weapons commonly are seized at methamphetamine laboratories in the state. Federal, state, and local law enforcement officials have seized laboratories containing large arsenals of weapons including AK-47 rifles, fully automatic submachine guns, and homemade explosives.

Violence attributed to methamphetamine distribution generally is limited to western North Carolina where the drug is most prevalent. In October 2001 officials at the Watauga County Sheriff's Department reported there had been some drive-by shootings in the county related to methamphetamine distribution.

Production

Methamphetamine is produced in North Carolina using the Birch reduction method and, to a lesser extent, the iodine/red phosphorus method. (See Text Box.) Laboratory operators are primarily low- and middle-income Caucasian individuals who work independently, producing small quantities of methamphetamine for personal use. They sell small amounts of methamphetamine in order to fund further production. Reporting from law enforcement officials indicates that methamphetamine production laboratories frequently are located in the mountains and woods of western and central North Carolina.

Methamphetamine Production Methods

Ephedrine/Pseudoephedrine Reduction:

Hydriodic acid/red phosphorus. The principal chemicals are ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, hydriodic acid, and red phosphorus. This method can yield multipound quantities of high quality d-methamphetamine and often is associated with Mexican drug trafficking organizations.

Iodine/red phosphorus. The principal chemicals are ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, iodine, and red phosphorus. The required hydriodic acid in this variation of the hydriodic acid/red phosphorus method is produced by the reaction of iodine in water with red phosphorus. This method yields high quality d-methamphetamine. Another iodine/red phosphorus method, limited to small production batches, is called the cold cook method because the chemicals, instead of being heated, are placed in a hot environment such as the sun.

Iodine/hypophosphorous acid. The principal chemicals are ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, iodine, and hypophosphorous acid. The required hydriodic acid in this variation of the hydriodic acid/red phosphorus method is produced by the reaction of iodine in water with hypophosphorous acid. Known as the hypo method, this method yields lower quality d-methamphetamine. Hypophosphorous acid is more prone than red phosphorus to cause a fire and can produce deadly phosphine gas.

Birch. The principal chemicals are ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, anhydrous ammonia, and sodium or lithium metal. Also known as the Nazi method, this method typically yields ounce quantities of high quality d-methamphetamine and often is used by independent dealers and producers.

Phenyl-2-propanone:

P2P. The principal chemicals are phenyl-2-propanone, aluminum, methylamine, and mercuric acid. This method yields lower quality dl-methamphetamine and has been associated with outlaw motorcycle gangs.

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Methamphetamine production requires chemicals that are relatively easy to purchase or manufacture. Pseudoephedrine is contained in many over-the-counter cold medications. In order to avoid suspicion created by large purchases of these medications, methamphetamine producers in North Carolina sometimes employ couriers to make small purchases at several different stores, a method commonly known as smurfing. Law enforcement officers report that some unscrupulous store owners have sold large amounts of pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine producers. Law enforcement officials report that methamphetamine producers purchase large cylinders of anhydrous ammonia--used legally as a fertilizer--from industrial gas supply companies, or they steal anhydrous ammonia from local farms. Starter fluid, lithium batteries, and drain cleaner also are used in the Birch reduction method and are relatively easy to purchase in retail stores. Red phosphorus is purchased at chemical supply stores, or it can be scraped from the striker plates of road flares or matchbooks. Producers obtain iodine crystals at local veterinary supply stores or sometimes make them by mixing tincture of iodine with hydrogen peroxide in glass jars.

Methamphetamine producers in North Carolina usually use one of two cutting agents: MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) or powdered niacin. MSM is a nonregulated veterinary food supplement, and powdered niacin is a dietary supplement.

MSM Used as a Cutting Agent

MSM, the common commercial name for the chemical methylsulfonylmethane, also is known as methylsulfone and dimethylsulfone (DMSO₂).

As a cutting agent for methamphetamine, MSM offers many advantages. Pure MSM is an odorless, white, crystalline powder that is highly soluble and mixes readily with most substances without leaving a residue. MSM usually is added to methamphetamine during the final stages of production. Methamphetamine cut with MSM often appears to be uncut because after the chemicals are combined and the mixture cools, the MSM recrystallizes, resembling pure methamphetamine.

MSM is readily available in powder and tablet forms at livestock feed and equine tack stores, "super" pet food chains, warehouse stores, human nutrition centers, and upscale grocery stores. MSM is available through mail order equine and veterinary supply catalogs and on numerous Internet sites.

Methamphetamine production poses serious safety and environmental concerns. The production process creates toxic and hazardous waste that endangers the public and the environment. Methamphetamine laboratories produce 5 to 7 pounds of toxic waste for every pound of methamphetamine produced. Most toxic residue from methamphetamine production is dumped near the laboratory, contaminating soil and groundwater and killing vegetation. Methamphetamine laboratory cleanup costs can range from several thousand dollars to millions of dollars, imposing a strain on state and local agency resources.

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Transportation

Mexican and, to a lesser extent, Caucasian criminal groups based in North Carolina purchase methamphetamine in Mexico, California, and southwestern states and transport the drug into the state primarily in commercial and private vehicles. OMG members also occasionally transport methamphetamine into North Carolina. Mexican and Caucasian criminal groups frequently transport 5 to 10 pounds of methamphetamine at a time concealed among legitimate products--including produce and furniture--in tractor-trailers. Mexican criminal groups frequently transport methamphetamine with larger shipments of cocaine and marijuana. Law enforcement officials report that Mexican criminal groups sometimes hire long-haul truck drivers, normally Caucasians, to transport methamphetamine along with their legitimate cargo into North Carolina from California and southwestern states. These truck drivers are paid only to transport the drug and generally do not sell methamphetamine; however, officials report there are a number of commercial truck drivers who transport and sell the drug.

Methamphetamine also is transported into the state via package delivery services, primarily from southwestern states. In December 2000, law enforcement authorities in Durham seized a package that contained 16 pounds of methamphetamine. The package had been sent from Arizona and was destined for distribution in Durham. In October 2001, officials at the Ashe County Sheriff's Office reported that methamphetamine was transported into the area primarily via package delivery services from Phoenix, Arizona.

Distribution

Mexican criminal groups that distribute cocaine and marijuana in the state are also the primary wholesale distributors of methamphetamine produced in Mexico, California, and southwestern states. They sell multipound quantities of methamphetamine to Mexican and Caucasian retail distributors and frequently conduct retail distribution themselves. Commercial truck drivers--Caucasians in particular--also sell wholesale quantities of methamphetamine. They generally sell to other Caucasian dealers for retail distribution or sell retail quantities themselves.

Historically, OMGs produced and distributed methamphetamine in North Carolina. However, OMGs in North Carolina ceased producing methamphetamine within the past 10 to 15 years and now rely on Mexican DTOs and Mexican criminal groups for their methamphetamine supply. OMGs in North Carolina use their out-of-state chapters to build relationships with methamphetamine suppliers in Mexico, California, and southwestern states. OMGs rely on others, including smaller motorcycle gangs, for retail distribution.

Methamphetamine is sold at the retail level in private homes, local businesses, bars, nightclubs, and at truck stops. It is frequently sold in small plastic bags or wrapped in pieces of cellophane that are sealed with duct tape. Methamphetamine rarely is sold at open-air drug markets.

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