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The economy has made things difficult for everyone. But one industry that tends to thrive in hard times is crime, either organized groups or individual criminals. Bank robbery, auto theft, white-collar crimes like embezzlement, and of course illicit drug manufacture and sales. In my years as an Alabama criminal defense lawyer, I have represented clients who have been accused of alleged drug possession, drug trafficking, manufacturing, illegal growing of marijuana, and meth lab operation, to name just a few.

Working in Birmingham, AL, I have also seen the growth of the meth industry as a way for some people to illegally make money in a down economy. Recent reports show that police have shut down two alleged meth labs in the West Alabama area.
 
According to police, raids in Hale and Pickens counties halted operation of what authorities sais were two separate methamphetamine labs. Four people were reportedly taken into custody, with police officials in both counties searching for additional suspects.

Pickens County Sheriff David Abston described one of the suspects, Christopher Wayne Kelly, 28, as a “serial burglar.” He is asking burglary victims in four West Alabama counties to report missing items. Kelly, a Tuscaloosa resident who had been staying at his grandfather’s camp house in Pickens County, was taken into custody on Sept. 1, according to the authorities.

The man was charged with third-degree burglary, second-degree theft, manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, first-degree possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Kelly was placed in the Pickens County Jail on $541,500 bail.

According to reports, police searched Kelly’s residence and turned up a suspected methamphetamine lab, plus several items believed to have been stolen during a burglary in south Pickens County on August 31. Pickens County police believe that the suspect took similar items from hunting camps in Tuscaloosa, Greene, Sumter and Pickens counties.

Law enforcement officials are also looking for 33-year-old Christopher Scruggs, an associate of Kelly’s who has several warrants out for his arrest in Jefferson and Tuscaloosa counties.

In Hale County, officials charged three suspects with manufacturing methamphetamine. According to reports, Charles Tucker, 39, and his wife, Tina Tucker, 35, were taken into custody, along with 34-year-old Wade Johnson, at the Tucker’s Millwood Road residence in Greensboro. The bust was the result of an undercover investigation, which led authorities to the home where at least three suspected methamphetamine labs were in plain sight.

Police say that all three Hale County suspects face charges of trafficking methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

The undercover probe that identified the Tuckers as suspects also led to the identification of other suspects who sold drugs to agents of the 4th Judicial Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Authorities said that warrants and indictments have been obtained for other suspects as well.

Alleged meth labs found in Hale, Pickens counties, TuscaloosaNews.com, September 10, 2009

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As a Birmingham criminal defense lawyer, I find interesting the ingenuity of some people to invent new ways of doing things. From a criminal perspective, drug manufacturing is one of the more scientific pursuits. Not long ago, an Associated Press report disclosed that illegal drug manufacturers were using a new mix of ingredients to produce methamphetamine. But apparently this is nothing new to Alabama’s illicit drug industry.

While it may take a while for state and federal legislation to catch up with the new recipes that clandestine meth labs use to make their product, I’m certain that law enforcement agencies will still be arresting individuals for alleged drug manufacture and sale. The trouble for police and federal drug agents is the less conspicuous nature of this new approach.

According to news reports, most every meth lab in Alabama is using the new approach. “That’s all we’re seeing now as far as labs go,” said Albertville police Chief Benny Womack. “It’s much easier and quicker and doesn’t get as much attention. Somehow or another, these guys are better chemists than the ones who have degrees.”

Apparently, the new formula, or process, is called “shake and bake.” It uses a more simple recipe that requires just a two-liter soda bottle, cold pills and chemicals. The maker only has to mix the components by shaking the bottle. The resulting meth powder is reportedly highly addictive.

Reports for the AP reviewed lab seizures in 14 states, including Alabama, and found that the new method is spreading across the country and is contributing to a spike in the number of meth cases after years of declining arrests.

Because the volatile mixture requires fewer pills of common decongestants ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, it allows makers to skirt the law restricting over-the-counter sales of these medications. According to authorities, many meth users traveling from pharmacy to pharmacy, buying small quantities of pills to avoid attention.

The drug legislation and last year’s formation of the Safe Streets Task Force for Northeastern Alabama have combined to reduce the number of meth labs in the region, authorities said. The Birmingham Division of the FBI works directly with the Safe Streets Task Force, which includes 22 federal, state and local partners in Marshall, Etowah, DeKalb and St. Clair counties.

New meth formula avoids anti-drug laws, SandMountainReporter.com, September 8, 2009

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Cullman County -- Police recently arrested a man for allegedly operating a meth lab at his home in Hanceville, AL. Billy Floyd Norris apparently called police to report some stolen property. When officers arrived, the 33-year-old man told them that that his roommates had robbed him. Police could not verify that a robbery had occurred, however they did discover traces of drugs on the premises, as well as evidence of an active methamphetamine lab. The Cullman Narcotics Enforcement Team took samples to positively identify the seized chemicals and drugs. Norris was charged with manufacturing and unlawful possession of a controlled substance. He was incarcerated at the Cullman County Detention Center on $1 million bond.

Franklin County -- A Russellville woman has been accused of raping a 13-year-old boy, according to authorities. Ashley Turner, 24, was indicted by a grand jury in May for allegedly having an extended sexual relationship with the boy at his home during 2008. The boy’s parents reportedly did not find out until after the relationship had been ongoing for some time. The Franklin County Sheriff's Office said Turner and the boy are friends and that the boy consented to the sexual relationship. Legally the boy is too young to consent -- therefore a charge of second-degree rape has been lodged against Turner. This is a Class B felony that carries a prison sentence of two to 20 years.

Madison County -- A resident of Harvest, Alabama, was arrested recently for attempting to pass a counterfeit $100 bill at a Madison McDonald's restaurant. According to reports, police arrested James Michael Cook on June 8 after an employee reported the incident to police. A preliminary investigation led authorities to find $6,200 in counterfeit $100s in Cook's possession. In a subsequent search, Madison police and the U.S. Secret Service located and seized an additional $9,700 in counterfeit $100 bills. Cook has been charged with first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and is being held in the Madison County jail on $20,000 bond.

Mobile County -- Authorities say that Stanley "Red" Harris was charged June 12 with capital murder in the death of 41-year-old Karen Tillman, who was shot to death during a robbery in Grand Bay. The Mobile County sheriff's office said it was unclear what type of relationship Harris had with Tillman or why the two were traveling together when the shooting occurred during the evening of June 11. According to reports, Tillman got out of the vehicle and was picked up by a passer-by who drove her to a nearby home. Deputies called to the scene of the shooting said that the victim named Harris as her attacker before she died. Harris was arrested at his grandmother's house in Irvington and is currently being held in the Mobile County Metro Jail without bail.

Man reports robbery, police find working meth lab, TheNewsCourier.com, June 15, 2009

Metro Breifs, AL.com, June 13, 2009
 

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