An employee at Centra-Sota cooperative, a fertilizer plant in Watkins noticed a suspicious vehicle parked by the business’ anhydrous ammonia tanks. A man was seen taking gas from the tanks Thursday, July 3. The Centra-Sota employee confronted the man who fled the scene with a plastic gas can. Centra-Sota notified authorities of the suspected vehicle and theft. Meeker County officials put out the information on the vehicle and the suspect to area law enforcement. Shortly after the theft, about 9 a.m. deputies from Stearns County located the suspect and suspicious vehicle on County Road 146 and 66th Avenue in Maine Prairie Township; it was driven by Timothy Carl Weber, 28, of South Haven. During the stop, the deputies located the 5-gallon gasoline container. It was leaking anhydrous ammonia. The deputies also found a substance thought to be methamphetamine. Weber was arrested for an attempt to manufacture methamphetamine. Weber is being held in the Stearns County Jail. He had his initial appearance in court and has been charged with attempted and controlled substances in the first-degree: methamphetamine. Charges are pending for the theft that occurred in Meeker County. While the incident was a one time occurrence, local and county authorities said that methamphetamine are becoming more common in our area. Sgt. David McLaughlin of the Central Minnesota drug task force said the force spends about 90 percent of its time dealing with methamphetamine-related problems. The counties are dealing with these issues. The Stearns County board of commissioners recently developed a new task force to deal with the increasing methamphetamine problems. Reports indicated that the county busted 20 meth labs last year. Comparably, the county dissolved 28 labs this year in three months. The county also developed a new ordinance to help with clean-up. Similarly, Meeker County is acting on the problem. Jeff Norlin, chief deputy of Meeker County said, “We take these thefts [of anhydrous ammonia] very seriously.” Anhydrous ammonia explained “Anhydrous ammonia is an ingredient used for making illegal meth,” said Norlin. The gas is often found in rural farming areas. Dave Schwartz, Meeker County U of M Extension educator of crops explained how it is used by farmers. “Anhydrous ammonia is the primary nitrogen source for corn production in Minnesota,” said Schwartz. Farmers apply the product in late fall or spring to prepare soil for the crop. Using a digger, the gas is placed about 6 inches deep into the soil. Thieves steal the gas by rigging up hoses to the tanks and putting the gas into unauthorized containers. The gas is later used in meth production. “The theft of anhydrous ammonia is mostly not reported,” said McLaughlin. “If it is stolen from tanks, most of the time it is not known.” Production of the drug Methamphetamines are produced in mobile labs, out of a suitcase or at “ma and pa” labs located in rural areas throughout the nation. To make the substance, a range of ingredients are mixed. Some of the substances found in meth include: battery acids, drain cleaner, red phosphorous, hydrochloric acid, lantern fuel, lye, antifreeze and over-the-counter medicines. The substance is cooked, often on a hot plate, to form the drug. Because of the hazardous ingredients, the meth-making process is very dangerous and can be explosive. Taking the mystery out of meth Methamphetamine substances are manufactured for personal use or to sell. The going rate is about $125-$200 per gram, said McLaughlin. The drug comes in different forms and can be smoked, snorted, ingested or injected into a user. When using meth, a person will experience an intense rush that gives a temporary high. Users maintain the feeling by binging on the drug. Long-term effects of use include damage to the brain and liver. Users may have fatal kidney and lung disorders. They may suffer from blood clots, chronic depression, hallucinations and/or display violent and aggressive behaviors. Sometimes, immune systems become deficient. While authorities in Meeker and Stearns counties said that there are methamphetamine problems in the counties, “I wouldn’t say our county is different from others,” said Norlin. McLaughlin added that the problems are widespread throughout Stearns County and don’t seem to be more prevalent in one area or another. For more information on methamphetamine, visit the National Institute on Drug Abuse Web site at www.nida.nih. gov.
