Continuing his effort to combat the methamphetamine epidemic, Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the next phase in his crackdown on meth-related crimes, including the creation of an online Meth Offender Registry.

“Meth is one of the nastiest, most addictive and most harmful drugs ever to hit Minnesota,” Governor Pawlenty said. “We have tackled the meth scourge head-on by moving meth ingredients behind pharmacy counters, adding more agents to go after dealers, creating and funding the Gang and Drug Strike Force, and enhancing treatment programs in our prisons. Still there is more that can be done and today we’re launching the next phase of our assault against meth.”

Governor Pawlenty’s announcement builds on his initiatives contained in the 2005 Omnibus Public Safety bill that he signed. That bill classified pseudoephedrine, one of the ingredients in meth, as a Schedule V controlled substance, requiring it to be placed behind pharmacy counters, limiting the amount that can be purchased, and requiring buyers to sign a log. Uniform clean-up and notification requirements were imposed and a new crime of endangering children or vulnerable adults with meth-related activities was established. The bill also included $1 million for ten new Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) agents for methamphetamine enforcement activities and $1.5 million for methamphetamine treatment grants to counties.

The four tools deployed by the Governor today to battle meth are:

• Creating a Meth Offender Registry;
• Deploying Bureau of Criminal Apprehension meth agents across Minnesota;
• Combating Meth Trafficking on Minnesota’s Highways; and
• Training to Protect and Assist Children Endangered by Meth.

Pawlenty indicated all four of the proposals will be carried out by executive action and do not require legislative action. Pawlenty signed an executive order today creating the Meth Offender Registry (MOD).

Methamphetamine continues to be a serious drug problem in America, with more counties reporting that meth is their number one drug problem, than counties listing cocaine, marijuana, and heroin combined, according to a National Association of Counties report issued in the last month.

Methamphetamine use causes increased heart rate and blood pressure and can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain, producing strokes. Other effects of meth include respiratory problems, irregular heartbeat, and extreme anorexia. The drug has been known to cause cardiovascular collapse and death.

Creating a Meth Offender Registry
Under an executive order signed by the Governor today, convicted meth manufacturers, dealers, and traffickers will have their name, date of birth, offense, conviction date and county where the offense took place listed on an internet registry maintained by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) with assistance provided by the Office of Enterprise Technology (OET).

Photos are not likely to be included initially, but may be added as work on the registry progresses. At this time, 50 of 87 Minnesota counties regularly download photos to the BCA with arrest data. Work on constructing the registry will begin immediately with a goal of DPS having it online by December 31, 2006.

A publicly-accessible registry of serious meth offenders will provide police and citizens with a “one-stop shop” to find out if someone has been involved in selling or making meth. This information on persons convicted of manufacturing, selling or trafficking meth will allow Minnesotans to better protect themselves and their communities. The public exposure may also have a deterrent effect on prospective manufacturers or dealers of methamphetamine.

In March 2005, Tennessee became the first state to create a public Web registry for convicted methamphetamine makers. It now has more than 400 convicted offenders on the list. Illinois followed suit with a similar meth registry law signed by Governor Blagojevich last month, and a half-dozen other states have pending legislation to create meth offender registries.

Deploying Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Meth Agents Across Minnesota
Governor Pawlenty also announced that all ten new BCA agents he proposed and that were funded in the 2005 Omnibus Public Safety bill to fight meth are being deployed to duty around the state. There are three agents stationed in the metro area and one each in Mankato, Willmar, Moorhead, Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Brainerd and Alexandria.

These BCA agents are focused on investigative efforts related to mid- to upper-level meth dealers. The agents coordinate with each other to further the investigations of seizures of meth, and assist local, state and federal agencies on meth investigations such as controlled deliveries, buys and busts, undercover purchases of meth, technical support in cases involving cameras and audio and video recordings, and the investigation and dismantling of meth labs.

The agents will also provide training to law enforcement officers and prosecutors regarding the drug couriers’ use of hidden compartments in “load vehicles” and various interview techniques to detect deception by such couriers. Training will also be provided to officers posing in an undercover capacity as drug dealers to infiltrate methamphetamine drug rings. In addition, the agents will make recommendations regarding new equipment to combat the spread of meth.

These BCA agents will strengthen efforts to deal with the meth coming into the state from Mexico and other locations, often imported by illegal immigrants and gang members. These agents will coordinate with the Minnesota State Patrol which recently received training from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on meth and other drug interdiction.

Combating Meth Trafficking on Minnesota’s Highways
The federal DEA estimates that 40 percent of all drug arrests in the United States begin with a traffic stop. State authorities estimate that more than 100 pounds of meth produced and packaged by cartels arrives in Minnesota every month. In order to put an end to the trafficking of methamphetamine on Minnesota’s roads and highways, the Governor directed the Minnesota State Patrol to focus on innovative ways to detect methamphetamine trafficking.

Two Minnesota programs have achieved exceptional results. First, Minnesota State Troopers have participated in a federally funded course called “Operation Desert Snow.” Recently, the one-hundredth Minnesota State Trooper successfully completed this course. Desert Snow teaches law enforcement officers how to identify suspicious vehicles, conduct detailed roadside interviews, and detect signs that a vehicle has been altered to create hidden storage compartments.

Second, the Minnesota State Patrol has 10 specially trained drug dogs that sniff out drugs hidden in items such as car upholstery, tool boxes or luggage. Both programs have resulted in some of the biggest methamphetamine busts in Minnesota’s history – one arrest caught four individuals transporting 11.5 pounds of meth with a street value of $524,400 for 26,220 dosage units. As recently as this Tuesday, Minnesota State Troopers uncovered a half-pound of meth located in the headrest of a drug trafficker’s car. After every seizure, the State Patrol coordinates with the BCA to ensure that the drug couriers are arrested and the cartels are aggressively combated.

Training to Protect and Assist Children Endangered by Meth
Governor Pawlenty also announced a plan to enhance efforts to assist children living around meth labs or drug endangered environments who face a greater risk for physical, emotional and developmental harm. A child living in a home with a meth lab often experiences severe neglect, physical, emotional or developmental harm, and exposure to the chemicals used in manufacturing methamphetamine.

The Governor’s proposal to combat the meth epidemic includes the creation of a new program focused on helping children endangered by this drug. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will launch a statewide effort to help health care and public safety officials understand how to assist children put at risk by clandestine meth labs or other types of drug production, distribution, or abuse.

The Governor’s goal is to provide a statewide program coordinated through the MDH, state agencies, local governments and law enforcement agencies. Through better coordinated services, children will be removed from dangerous environments, obtain appropriate medical care and receive the resources and assistance they need to be safe. The Governor has instructed the Commissioner of Health to pursue an alliance with the national Drug Endangered Children program, which allows for additional resources and training to assist in protecting children from the impact of drugs.

Nationally, about 30-35% of meth labs seized are residences that include children, according to recent research by the National Jewish Medical and Research Center. The Center also reports that 35-55% of children removed from meth labs test positive for meth, and that 10% of children removed from homes of heavy users test positive for meth. In Minnesota, from 2004 to 2005 there were at least 76 children discovered to be in homes that had meth-related arrests and seizures by local drug task forces, according to the Department of Public Safety.

Minnesota’s drug endangered children are often found to be living in deplorable conditions. The DEC program will help protect, rescue, support and shelter high-risk children in Minnesota from these devastating effects.

“Meth causes many societal problems that we must attack,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Meth can destroy not only the lives of users, but their families, friends and neighbors too. We’ve made significant progress, but we still need to tackle meth on a variety of fronts. Today’s actions will help us halt the spread of this harmful drug and engage the public in our efforts.”

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