When Brian Lofling shot and killed Jeanette Pinon and wounded Cathy Sanders on Main Street in Willits in November 2007, he was high on methamphetamines, according to the Mendocino County Coroner's Office.
Nearly all the methamphetamine consumed in Mendocino County is imported from Mexico, and much has been traded for marijuana. In a recent radio interview, an inmate described her trips taking weed to the Bay Area to trade for meth and bringing it back to Mendocino County for sale. Sheriff's deputies describe the extensive trading of "green for white" that goes on within the county, many times with the "Mexican Mafia" and outlaw motorcycle gangs.
When smoked or injected, both cocaine and meth users experience an intense pleasurable rush, followed by feelings of euphoria. Snorted cocaine and oral meth produce less of a rush and take longer to produce the euphoria. While cocaine's high typically dissipates within 30 minutes, a meth high may last hours.
"Chronic abuse of either methamphetamine or cocaine also can lead to psychotic behavior characterized by paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances and violence," according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Meth is also a known neurotoxin, damaging neurons in the brain that regulate serotonin and dopamine.
While it is impossible to determine how many Willits or Mendocino County residents are now using methamphetamine, in 2005-2006 the percentage of admissions primarily for meth use in county treatment programs had nearly doubled from 2001--to 33 percent of all abusers. Whether this represents an increase in abuse or just an increase in the patients being treated is unknown. Most (84 percent) were required to attend treatment programs by either the criminal justice system or the Department of Social Services.
Currently, nearly 80 percent of all meth in the country is imported from Mexico. Domestic production of meth dropped sharply since 2004, when bulk purchase of cold remedies used to produce meth was outlawed across the country. The number of U.S. drug labs seized by law enforcement has reflected this drop, with nearly 10,100 drug labs found in 2003 down to only 2,100 in 2007.
Meth remains inexpensive, at $50 or less per gram in the region.
Mexican drug-trafficking organizations revved up to keep meth supplied to the U.S. market in the face of falling domestic production, within one year quadrupling the import into Mexico of cold remedies suitable for cooking into meth. While Mexican authorities are attempting to curb the import of such materials, the cartels continue to show creativity in finding ways to supply the U.S. market.
On the world market, the raw materials needed to make meth are readily available and cost a fraction of the value of the finished product. Last spring, Mexican authorities raided the home of an alleged importer of Chinese cold remedies and netted $207 million in cash. This raid followed the seizure of a 19-ton shipment of illegal meth-making chemicals at a Mexican port. The ship carrying the chemicals left from Hong Kong, stopping in Long Beach before being seized in Mexico.
While the decline of local labs has reduced the environmental toll on the county, it has not reduced the presence of methamphetamines locally. By February 2007, 20 alleged Santa Rosa-area drug traffickers were indicted in federal court following a two-year investigation associated with meth distribution in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties. During the course of that investigation, 35 pounds of meth were seized, along with 5,000 pounds of marijuana, 20,000 pot plants and $500,000 in cash.
On April 1, agents arrested four men and seized 29 pounds of meth, a pound of marijuana, cocaine and weapons in Sonoma County raids on a trucking company. Agents believe the group was distributing meth throughout Northern California.
In March, the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement arrested eight suspects allegedly involved with a Santa Rosa drug-distribution ring, which included a methamphetamine lab in Winton in Merced County. In this raid, officers seized 27 pounds of meth, 69 pounds of marijuana, hashish, cocaine and $45,000 in cash.
1 comment:
Meth-pot link interesting
To the Editor:
I would like to thank the female (recently released from county jail) panel member who honestly answered the question asked by KZYX Access Program radio host, Norman DeVall in a live interview on March 7, with Sheriff Tom Allman.
In response to a caller’s statement that “marijuana funds meth labs,” DeVall asked Sheriff Allman “have you found an interconnectedness?”
The female panel member spoke up and said, “the connections I’ve seen with methamphetamine and marijuana is about five years ago or so I was doing runs down to the city with pounds of weed to trade straight across for methamphetamine that I was bringing back, so to say ‘yes’ it does fund some of the methamphetamines that are coming into this county. Because to trade straight across I mean, we’re bringing huge amounts back for no cash. We are just growing weed and trading it.” Allman clarified, “I understand that, now you’re not talking about trading a pound of green for a pound of white?”
Another inmate panel member answers “No way.”
Female panel member “no, it’s equaled out though, to the cash value.”
I find it very telling that the female panel member is stating that she “transported marijuana to the city to trade” as opposed to just trading marijuana for methamphetamine within our county. This leads me to the conclusion that “for profit” marijuana growers are producing huge quantities of marijuana “to trade” for methamphetamine, which is “allegedly” the greatest concern in Mendocino County.
When we open the door to “commercial” marijuana growing we are not choosing marijuana over methamphetamine -- we are choosing both.
E. Koski
Redwood Valley
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/frontpage
March 17th, 2008
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