NADDI: NPLEx curbing homegrown methamphetamine production in Alabama

LUTHERVILLE, Md. — The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators on Friday highlighted the latest results achieved by Alabama's real-time, stop-sale pseudoephedrine tracking system.

 

The National Precursor Log Exchange system automatically blocks unlawful pseudoephedrine purchases at the point of sale, and helps flag meth suspects for law enforcement. Police officers and narcotics agents often set up NPLEx "watch lists" that notify them via email when a meth suspect attempts to make a PSE purchase. The most recent NPLEx data show that in Alabama, the technology has blocked the sale of 56,050 boxes of medicine containing pseudoephedrine since the start of 2014, keeping 138,225 grams out of the hands of potential meth criminals.

 

Additionally, Alabama sold 15% fewer boxes of PSE compared to the same period in 2013. The number of individual purchasers was further reduced by 12.5%.

 

Alabama's NPLEx system works in concert with the state's drug offender block list, which prohibits drug offenders from being able to purchase PSE-based medicines. Together, the technologies have helped produce a decline in meth labs across the state — from 720 in 2010 to 154 at the end of 2013. That progress is ongoing.

 

"Alabama is stepping up efforts to take the fight directly to meth criminals, and NPLEx is proving to be an integral part of that," said Charles Cichon, executive director of NADDI. "With a strong foundation provided by tough anti-meth laws, the state has already made some great gains in this battle. These NPLEx numbers show meth cooks and their associates are taking notice. As NPLEx helps Alabama law enforcement officials curb domestic methamphetamine production, they will be able to focus further on the even greater threat of imported meth from Mexico."