By Janae Willardson
Although state attorneys say they are are winning the war against methamphetamine manufacturing in Utah, the use of the increasingly popular drug is still a widespread problem throughout the state.
“Meth is still the drug of choice in Utah County,” said Sgt. Guy Gustman of the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force.
The Utah Attorney General”s office reports that in a typical week, Methamphetamine Unit attorneys will make 44 appearances in court.
Utah Assistant Attorney General Colleen Coebergh said her number one priority is to fight meth use – what she calls the number one menace in Utah.
Of the cases Coebergh prosecutes, 98 percent of meth manufacturers are convicted.
But Coebergh said that Utah is winning the battle because officials are going to the root of the problem.
The focus is to stop and prosecute those who manufacture meth in hidden labs throughout Utah.
“People won”t stop manufacturing meth until you incarcerate them. Their lives have to start over again in prison,” Coebergh said.
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff supports the Meth Unit in prosecuting those who are responsible for the root of the meth problem in Utah.
“We committed from the beginning to be aggressive with those who cook meth in our neighborhoods,” Shurtleff said in a news release.
Coebergh said the Meth Unit has a different philosophy about manufacturing because she sees manufacturing as a danger to the community. Meth labs themselves are dangerous and the distribution of meth is ruining lives, Coebergh said.
“Meth is simply dynamite to those who use it and anyone living near them. I”m proud of our prosecutors. They”re making a huge difference in keeping our communities safe,” Shurtleff said.
Coebergh said the danger of cooking meth is harmful for neighbors in the surrounding community.
The Meth Unit works with the Utah Drug Enforcement Administration with investigating and building cases against meth manufacturers.
“What I am most surprised at is the diversity of people involved. Most of the people you would never guess are involved in meth cooking. These people have a job, house and children,” Coebergh said.
She said that most meth labs are hidden in smaller communities like Provo.
Even with the large decrease in meth labs there is still a huge meth problem in Utah County because the availability is brought from outside, Gustman said.
Gustman added, however, that there has been a large decrease in meth labs among Utah County neighborhoods in the last year.
“The state has done a great job at making it difficult to set up labs,” Gustman said.
Meth Unit recently finished a statewide tour to educate storeowners on how they can stop the sale of chemicals and supplies needed to make methamphetamine.
She said the state wanted to inform retailers and store owners about the precursors of making meth.
“The retailers should be suspicious when someone buys a large amount of certain over the counter drugs or supplies,” Coebergh said.
Regular products like cold medicine, matchboxes, pure iodine, thermometers and glassware are all used in the process of making meth.
Educating retailers, seeking federal grants and Utah Senators making drug laws stronger are strong factors in winning the fight against meth manufacturing, Coebergh said.
“We receive incredible support from our Senators in the fight against meth,” Coebergh said.
Senator Orrin Hatch is a part of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees drug enforcement.
“Senator Hatch has long been involved in the war against meth,” said Margarita Tapia, Senate Judiciary Committee republican press secretary.
Sen. Hatch praised the Department of Justice”s Drug Enforcement Administration”s visit to Utah for their Nationwide Methamphetamine Awareness Tour titled, “Not in Our Town”.
“Without the DEA”s assistance, State and local law enforcement agencies in Utah and other rural states would lack the knowledge and resources necessary to investigate and cleanup meth labs safely,” Hatch said.
Coebergh said Utah receives federal grants, which are distributed throughout the state to fight the war against meth in Utah.
“Our efforts are supported by the government in our fight against meth labs,” she said.
But Coebergh said each day she is reminded that Utah has a drug problem.
“People think Utah is clean living,” she said.
Coebergh said she sees continual progress in the war against meth.
“We win the drug war one battle at a time,” she said.
