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On September 1, 2005 NMTF received information that Richard Warrington of 8201 E 160 th ave. was receiving marijuana through the mail and cultivating marijuana in his house and shed. NMTF recovered 2 lbs of marijuana and over 200 marijuana plants along with equipment and chemicals to cultivate marijuana. The plants were found in a crawl space underneath the house.

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On Monday, August 15, 2005, at 5:00 p.m., Lee M. Arnett, birth date 07/18/70, 19 Evergreen Street, Broomfield, was arrested for Manufacturing Methamphetamine and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The arrest was the result of a joint team effort conducted by members of the North Metro Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.), Colorado Department of Corrections and Adams County Department of Social Services. The police and sheriff agencies involved were Adams County Sheriffs Office, Brighton Police Department, Broomfield Police Department, Commerce City Police Department, Federal Heights Police Department, Northglenn Police Department, Thornton Police Department and the Westminster Police Department.

Thirty-nine officers and agents, split into seven teams, were involved in the sweep. In less than forty-eight hours, the teams visited twenty suspected Methamphetamine Labs and made one hundred and one methamphetamine related contacts. Along with the arrest of Arnett, twenty-four felony arrests were made and five tickets were issued, mostly for possession drug paraphernalia. The teams seized methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, hashish, mushrooms, twenty-five weapons and chemicals and glassware used to manufacture methamphetamine. Additionally, eleven children between the ages of 3 and 16 were removed from dangerous drug environments and place in protective custody with Adams County Social Services

According to Chief Thomas C. Deland, “the issues surrounding meth labs and meth users are something that impacts all of us due to the number of crimes that meth users commit to supply their habit. “As a result, all residents, along with their police agencies, must remain vigilant in eradicating this dangerous drug from their communities”.

“The collaborative effort on Monday and Tuesday by 10 law enforcement agencies, the North Metro Fire Department and Adams County Social Services, signals a new and innovative approach to fighting the methamphetamine trade. We have shown that when law enforcement, emergency services, and social services band together with concerned citizens, we can have an instant and positive impact on quality of life. Methamphetamine is a poison that corrupts our society and endangers our children. DEA is committed to working with our community partners in the fight against methamphetamine”, stated Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge, Jeffrey D. Sweetin.

To obtain video or photographs, please contact Commander Lori Moriarty at 303-961-4304. If you have any questions about this press release, contact Sergeant Colleen O’Connell, Public Information Officer, at 303-464-5799

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In June 2005 the NMTF learned of a Mexican organization that was possibly bringing large quantities of cocaine (10-20 kilos a month) and marijuana (1500-2000 lbs a month) to north Denver from Mexico in U-Haul trucks concealed in ceramic fixtures.  Recent seizure from the boarder showed drugs being smuggled into the US using ceramic fixtures where officers would have to break open the fixtures to find the drugs.  This organization would break up the load here in Colorado but ship the majority to Iowa and many eastern states.

On July 28, 2005 the North Metro Task Force searched two houses (1 in Un incorporated Adams County and 1 in Northglenn).  We arrested 7 people and seized 3.22 kilos and 25 lbs of marijuana.  We found three ceramic fixtures (broken apart) where we suspect they smuggled in the drugs.

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NMTF works cooperatively with the Air National Guard in many areas of counter drug programs.

• United States Announces 427 Meth Arrests in more than 200 Cities
• Meth Lab Indicators and Officer Safety
• Stopping meth labs hasn't prevented U.S. states' trade of the drug

On June 24, 2005 there was a Methamphetamine Symposium in Montrose Colorado. Over 225 professionals from numerous disciplines attended - social services, nurses, school officials, counselors, law enforcement, fire departments, a judge, treatment providers, and foster parents. There were also a number of citizens in attendance who were wanting to know about this epidemic.

Take a look at the article in the Montrose Daily Press - Click Here.

Is there a meth lab in your neighborhood? The increase in the production of methamphetamine in homes, apartments, garages, storage units, motels and automobiles has created a hidden threat of hazardous waste sites in communities across the United States. Every neighborhood is potentially at risk.

Every pound of methamphetamine manufactured generates five to six pounds of hazardous waste. Police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, building inspectors, code enforcement officers and social service workers enter these contaminated homes and properties - often without equipment to protect themselves from the hazardous substances that could have long-term effects on their health.

In October 2001, an apartment complex in Castle Rock was evacuated after a meth lab was discovered. In November 2001, an apartment in Adams County caught fire when the vapors from a meth lab ignited. Most recently, two people were killed in the explosion of a meth lab in Denver.

Meth labs are springing up in every kind of neighborhood - rural and urban - in the state. The increase in production is staggering. In 1998, 31 labs were found in Colorado. By 1999 the number rose to 150, increased to 264 in 2000 and more than 450 in 2001. As neighboring states increase the criminal penalties for meth production, continued...