Easley Gets Tough On Meth Producers By Scott Nicholson N.C. Gov. Mike Easley signed a bill that may make local meth cooks think twice. Fueled by largely by Watauga County officials and voters, the law toughens sentences for illegal methamphetamine production. Mary South, the mother of former Deep Gap firefighter Darien South, mounted a petition drive last year asking for tougher sentences and for additional penalties for those whose illegal labs led to injuries to emergency responders and police. South delivered more than 2,700 signatures to the General Assembly and also stayed in contact with the Attorney General’s office as the legislation wound its way through various committees. She and Darien even spoke to a senate judiciary committee about their experiences and addressed a regional methamphetamine summit in Rowan County. Mary also spoke to leaders of the House and Senate about the bill, which passed unanimously. “I am thrilled it’s finally been passed,” Mary said. She’d received a email this week from the General Assembly notifying her of the bill’s passage. Darien was a volunteer member of the Deep Gap fire Department when he responded to a fire in Holy Hills Jan. 26, 2003. He opened an access panel to see if flames were smoldering beneath the floor, he said, when a blast of chemical gas rushed over his face. He was transported to the hospital, suffering respiratory failure. He has since been unable to work, suffering diminished lung capacity and enduring several surgeries. “He’s not going to get any better,” Mary said. “He’s stabilized, hopefully. I don’t think he’s ever going to recover what he lost, but hopefully the damage has stopped getting worse.” The owner of the meth lab that led to Darien’s injuries received 20 to 24 months in prison after being convicted of manufacturing meth and possessing illegal precursor chemicals. A charge of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury was returned with a “not guilty” verdict by a jury. Prosecutors have complained that the existing meth laws gave them few tools to keep meth makers in prison, and the defendants often turned immediately back to making the drug once they hit the street. Mary said she learned that other counties across the state weren’t aware of the dangers of meth labs, nor of their growing proliferation. She wrote to all 100 county commissions, asking them to sign resolutions supporting tougher laws. “I’m hoping that will come about all across North Carolina,” Mary said. “I think public awareness needs to be there.” She believes the new law, as well as the recent establishment of a regional methamphetamine task force based in Boone, will send a message to illegal drug makers. “This will let them (meth manufacturers) know we’re not going to tolerate it,” she said. The new law takes effect on Dec. 1 and covers several different areas. Unlawful meth distribution that results in a death triggers a charge of second-degree murder. If a child is present at the site of an illegal meth lab, then prosecutors can present that as an aggravating factor at a trial. Illegal manufacture of methamphetamine will become a Class C felony, up from a Class H felony. Depending on various mitigating or aggravating factors, a conviction could lead to a prison sentence of up to 17-and-a-half years. Possession of precursor chemicals used in illegal meth production will be Class F felony, up from the current Class H, carrying a sentence of nearly four years in prison. Such chemicals include acetone, chloropseudoephedrine, hydrochloric acid, toluene and other substances found in a number of household products, including cold medicine. Many stores have computer tracking software or set suspect products behind the counter so their purchase can be monitored. Law officials report that meth makers often use teenagers as “mules” to buy the products in an effort to avoid suspicion. Any store joining a Methamphetamine Watch Program through the N.C. Department of Justice will be immune from prosecution or liability if they act in good faith and cooperate with investigators if they unknowingly sell products used in a meth lab. Beginning in 2005, the state department of Health and Human Services will be required to establish standards for decontamination of former meth labs, which are often residential houses. The property’s owner will be compelled to comply with those standards. If a meth lab causes serious injury to a law enforcement officer, probation officer, parole officer, emergency medical services employee or a firefighter, then 24 months will be added to any subsequent sentence. Last year, 18 injuries were reported among people responding to meth lab fires or conducting investigations. Darien was the most seriously injured among them. Mary said in a May interview, “We owe it to our law enforcement officers, our emergency personnel and our fire fighters to do all we can to see this doesn’t happen again.” Last year, there were 177 meth lab busts in North Carolina, up from nine in 1999. Thirty-four of those were in Watauga County.