Battle against Meth

Website to band together Arkansas Pharmacies

April 24, 2008
by Leigh Kreimeier

Starting May 15, methamphetamine producers will now not only find the ingredients they need to produce the powerful drug behind counters, but will have another road block to stop them from purchasing mass quantities of the products containing ephedrine and psuedoephedrine by way of shopping at different pharmacies.

“LeadsOnlabs will tie local pharmacies’ computer systems together, simplify their reporting processes and give them real-time information about a potential customer’s prior purchases of ephedrine.” Chief Danny Bradley of the North Little Rock Police Department, who was the first department in the state to use the database, said.

The state law passed in 2005 to put pseudoephedrine behind pharmacy counters substantially cut meth lab seizures by more than half, according to Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel.

Earlier this year, Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe signed a bill sponsored by McDaniel into law. The law will establish a statewide pharmacy database — www.leadsonlabs.com — aimed at rooting out meth cooks who go from drug store to drug store stocking up on cold medicine.

This statewide database will build upon ongoing efforts in some Arkansas cities and counties that provide for electronic monitoring of pseudoephedrine purchases.

“It limits buying up to three grams or three packages in 24 hours and no more than nine grams in 30 days,” John O’Brien, director of Communications and Government Relations for LeadsOnlabs, said.

LeadsOnlabs receives data from pharmacies through real-time technology, providing law enforcement with accurate and timely suspect tracking information.

Pharmacies will benefit from instant notification of customers attempting over-the-limit purchases of meth producers, which helps stores avoid these types of sales and meet state and federal compliance mandates. This will all be provided at no charge to pharmacies, the company said.

All state pharmacies will be networked into the system and will scan customers drivers license during the purchase of the ingredients. If the customer is over their limit, a red flag will appear and be stored in the system and that customer will be denied the sale. That system will be viewed by law enforcement agencies across the state to make them aware of the suspects in their town who are purchasing heavy amounts of the ingredients.

James Bethea, co-owner and pharmacist of Coker Hampton Drug Company and Gift Shop, said he has been online with the program for nearly a month.

“Yes they sent out the information,” Bethea said. “We are already doing it.”

Bethea said servicing a small town it is a little inconvenient to customers who have been doing business with them for decades when he asks to see their driver’s license.

“But now you have to,” he said of scanning the license. 

After the law changed in 2005, he, just like other pharmacies, has been keeping the records of the purchases at their store, but that did not deter criminals from shopping several different stores in town to get the needed amount to cook the drug.

The scanner the program uses on the driver’s license was sent to the store free of charge and the system the database uses runs through the Internet, so no software had to be purchased.
 

Stuttgart Police Department Steven Bobo said although he has not heard much about the new system, he could definitely see its advantages. According to Bobo, it could potentially stop the consumer who is traveling from store to store to purchase the amount needed to cook methamphetamine.

“There are two components to it really — preemptive — the sale blocking feature that lets the pharmacy know they are over the limits,” O’Brien said. “Then the investigative site for law enforcement agents.”

More than 800 law enforcement agencies rely on the parent company of LeadsOnlabs for their criminal investigations.

The North Little Rock Police Department pioneered the deployment of LeadsOnlabs in Arkansas. The Department’s efforts led to an immediate reduction in the number of illegal psuedoephedrine purchases, a significant increase in busts of meth labs across the state, and the arrest of repeat meth offenders.

Within the coming weeks, McDaniel will be promoting the new system across the state, according to O’Brien.

 

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For more information on LeadsOnlabs call 888.994.7771

For information on LeadsOnline call 800.311.2656