Times-Tribune Staff Report

Eighteen people from three counties were arrested Wednesday morning following a six-month investigation by Operation UNITE and the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office into the illegal purchase of drugs used to make methamphetamine.

The police roundup to arrest these suspects — plus another 10 people wanted on other drug trafficking charges — was conducted Wednesday in Laurel, Clay and Leslie counties.

“Although these suspects live in different counties, the common thread is that all 18 individuals were purchasing cold remedies or decongestants containing pseudoephedrine from Laurel County pharmacies,” said Dan Smoot, law enforcement director for UNITE. “Pseudoephedrine is the main ingredient used in making meth.”

Pseudoephedrine is also an ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicines such as Dimetapp, Sudafed, Triaminic Allergy Congestion and other decongestants. One gram of pseudoephedrine will yield about one gram of methamphetamine, which sells for about $100 on the street.

“Most of these individuals were visiting multiple pharmacies to obtain tablets or capsules containing the pseudoephedrine,” Smoot added. “Usually groups of two or three people travel together in order to maximize the amount of drugs they can obtain.”

Kentucky law prohibits an individual from purchasing more than 9 grams of pseudoephedrine within a 30-day period. This is the equivalent of approximately 300 30mg tablets, Smoot said.

“While there are legitimate cases when this quantity of medication is justified, the average person will not purchase this quantity of pills for a lawful purpose,” he said.

Easy access to pseudoephedrine through over-the-counter sales was a significant factor in the growth of low cost meth labs. In order to curb methamphetamine production, Kentucky lawmakers enacted Senate Bill 63 in 2005 which limited dispensing to pharmacies and required a photo ID, signature and address in order to purchase a product containing pseudoephedrine.

Still, the tedious, time-consuming process of sorting through reams of manual logs made tracking pseudoephedrine purchases from multiple pharmacies or across county lines difficult and ineffective. So, in November 2005, the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) partnered with Operation UNITE to implement a real-time electronic reporting program known as MethCheck in Laurel County.

Success of this 18-month pilot program led to the 2007 General Assembly passing Senate Bill 88, requiring pharmacies to use an electronic reporting system if the state picked up the tab. Funding was ultimately appropriated and the system implemented last year.

“MethCheck was a contributing factor during this investigation,” Smoot said.

Still, Laurel County Sheriff Fred Yaden said meth continues to be a problem for county law enforcement.

“Meth, it slowed down, we felt like, in the late fall, but it seems like it’s back with a vengeance,” Yaden said. “We’re having a lot more calls on meth. We encourage the public to continue to work with us on this and help us curb this problem.”

Report suspected meth labs or dealers to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office at 606-864-6600.

Assisting in Wednesday’s roundup were the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, Manchester Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 19 people had been arrested. (One had previously been arrested.) They are:

• Alicia D. Boggs, age 22, Levi Jackson Mill Road, London (Laurel County), trafficking in marijuana more than 5 pounds (first offense).

• Jerry Wayne Bowling, age 31, Hoskins Cemetery Road, London (Laurel County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense). (Arrested Feb. 26.)

• Billy E. Brock, age 44, Highway 421, Hyden (Leslie County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense) and second-degree persistent felony offender.

• Eugene Brock, age 38, Hoskinston (Leslie County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense).

• Cecil Wayne Burkhart, age 36, Manchester (Clay County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense) and first-degree persistent felony offender.

• Beauford Caldwell, age 48, Canes Ford, Bear Branch (Leslie County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (second offense) and first-degree persistent felony offender.

• Taresa Gail Collins, age 27, Echo Valley Road, Lily (Laurel County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense).

• Charles Ed Gray, age 51, Gray Lane, Manchester (Clay County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense) and first-degree possession of a controlled substance (meth).

• Linda Ann Hundley, age 55, Maple Grove School Road, London (Laurel County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense).

• Lillian Ann Jones, age 47, J.C. Osborne Blvd., Hyden (Leslie County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense), and second-degree persistent felony offender. Arrested Feb. 28.

• Teresa A. Napier, age 37, Robert E. Cox Road, London (Laurel County), trafficking in a marijuana more than five pounds (first offense).

• Kendra Nicole Sams, age 22, Sally Little Road, Manchester (Clay County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense) and first-degree possession of a controlled substance.

• Eric Ronald Sizemore, age 32, Jackson Road, East Bernstadt (Laurel County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense) and second-degree persistent felony offender.

• Henry Clayton Smith, age 51, Hyden (Leslie County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense).

• Michael P. Smith, age 25, Flamingo Trailer Park, London (Laurel County), first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. Arrested Feb. 27.

• Michael Todd Smith, age 29, Fire Station Road, East Bernstadt (Laurel County), second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and second-degree persistent felony offender.

• Rhonda Renee Stewart, age 38, Wilder Avenue, Corbin (Knox County), first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Roger A. Stewart, age 31, North Highway 11, Manchester (Clay County), manufacturing methamphetamine (second offense) and second-degree persistent felony offender.

• James Everett Zeo, age 31, Maple Grove School Road, London (Laurel County), unlawful possession of methamphetamine precursors (first offense).

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their Web site at www.operationunite.org