Regional Drug Roundup Nets 68 Defendants Involving
Record Purchases of 141,000 Pseudoephedrine Pills

“Law enforcement determined that one way to approach the methamphetamine problem plaguing our communities is to aggressively prosecute those individuals who facilitate the production of methamphetamine by providing pseudoephedrine to the “cooks,” said Hanaway.

St. Louis, MO: These indictments were announced at a press conference earlier today in St. Louis. United States Attorney Catherine Hanaway and St. Louis County Police Chief Jerry Lee were joined by law enforcement officials from multiple area jurisdictions.

Over the past several months, federal grand juries in the Eastern District of Missouri have indicted 68 defendants in eight different cases, on charges of possession of pseudoephedrine, knowing it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine, and in some cases the manufacture of methamphetamine, among other charges.

Utilizing innovative investigative techniques, investigators were able to identify an unprecedented number of violators purchasing more than 141,000 pseudoephedrine pills all tolled.

“Clandestine methamphetamine laboratories pose a significant threat to our community.  In addition to generating toxic emissions and hazardous waste, the laboratories are likely to explode and set fire to adjacent properties,” said Hanaway.  “State, local and federal authorities analyzed this problem and determined that one way to approach the problem would be to aggressively prosecute those individuals who facilitate the production of methamphetamine by providing pseudoephedrine to the “cooks.” 

Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant commonly found in over-the-counter cold and sinus remedies and has emerged as the key ingredient used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. St. Louis County’s Precursor Task Force developed a plan to attack these labs through an investigation of the people purchasing excessive amounts of pseudoephedrine. 

Under the Combat Methamphetamine Act of 2005, the federal government limits purchases of pseudoephedrine to 9 grams in 30 days and 3.6 grams in a single day and requires sellers to record the purchases in a log book.  With the assistance of resources provided by Midwest HIDTA, a regionally-operated, congressionally-supported organization designed to support and coordinate drug investigations in high intensity drug  areas, the County’s Precursor Task Force was able to collate and analyze these purchase records for 2007 and 2008 and identify numerous individuals who purchased excessive amounts of pseudoephedrine. After identifying the individuals purchasing pseudoephedrine on multiple separate occasions, the detectives, with the assistance of local departments, were able to establish patterns leading them to the individuals who received the pills and manufactured methamphetamine and build cases involving violations of the federal pseudoephedrine laws. The federal judicial system is uniquely equipped to help in the prosecution of these cases because of the strict punishment for pseudoephedrine violations under federal law.

Hanaway commended the St. Louis County Police Department for developing the plan and several local task forces and departments, including the St. Charles County Drug Task Force, the Jefferson County Drug Task Force, both of which receive support from the Midwest HIDTA, as well as  the Arnold, Chesterfield, Kirkwood, Maplewood and St. John Police Departments who did the follow up investigations. Additionally, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force deserves credit for the assistance they provided in the many round-up arrests that brought all the defendants into custody without incident.  Assistant United States Attorney’s Michael Bert, Jeannette Graviss and Jim Delworth are handling the cases for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

 

Press Releases | St. Louis Home