SAN GABRIEL VALLEY / COVER STORY : A Volatile Situation : A Dangerous Stew
Making methamphetamine is not as hard as making a cake from scratch, said West Covina Police detective Neil Hopkins.
The primary ingredient in methamphetamine--ephedrine--is regulated by the Department of Justice in the United States. But ephedrine, a common ingredient in cold medications used to relieve nasal congestion and asthma, is unregulated in Mexico and smuggled into this country, law enforcement authorities said.
Other chemicals can be used as well, but drug investigators believe than 90% of all methamphetamine produced in California is made through the ephedrine method, which takes four to six hours.
The idea is to change ephedrine, which is close in molecular structure to methamphetamine, from an acid form to a base.
Some meth makers mix ephedrine, red phosphorus and hydriodic acid; others use ephedrine and high-pressure hydrogen gas.
The chemicals are mixed and heated for several hours and the impurities are extracted. What remains is liquid methamphetamine. The liquid is then converted into powdered methamphetamine. Once it is dry, the meth is the color of peanut butter. Acetone is used to clean it and make it white.
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