The Edmond Sun

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November 19, 2008

Police report rise in thefts of meth-related product

Mark Schlachtenhaufen

EDMOND — Many metro drug stores are having a serious problem with thefts of iodine, a naturally-occurring element that can be used to make methamphetamine, police said.

On Tuesday, Edmond police investigating a larceny at an Edmond Walgreens were told that a white male stole a 1-ounce bottle of iodine, and that Walgreens around the metro have been having a “serious problem” with iodine thefts, according to a police report.

A Walgreens employee told police she saw the person who she believes stole the iodine. Tuesday morning, the employee was working in the aisle in which iodine is kept.

The employee told police she saw a white male go to the iodine and count the number of bottles on the shelf. Police said the suspect then walked to the pharmacy and bought a Sudafed product.

While he was at the pharmacy, two of the three bottles of iodine were removed from the shelf and placed in the back of the store, leaving only one bottle on the shelf.

The employee was interrupted by some customers who needed assistance, but she saw the suspect leave the pharmacy and walk back towards the iodine. By the time she got to the aisle, she saw that the remaining bottle of iodine was gone and the suspect was leaving the store without stopping to pay for anything at the front, police said.

The employee went to the parking lot and saw the suspect get into a white, four-door car she believed was a Toyota.

Police said the suspect is a white male about 5 feet 11 inches tall, possibly in his 40s, whom the employee described as having a beard and looking “scruffy.” He was wearing a hat and a jacket and he appeared to have a “thin” build.

Police said about 20 bottles of iodine have been stolen from the Edmond Walgreens at 301 S. Santa Fe Ave. during the past several months. A store employee said she believed the person or persons stealing the iodine may be using it to make meth.

Glynda Chu, spokeswoman for the Edmond Police Department, said police are seeing an increase in thefts of iodine and Sudafed, which are both used to make meth.

“We want to put the word out to pharmacists that this is happening so they can try to keep a close watch on their supplies of these items and to please make a police report when these items are stolen,” Chu said.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, iodine tincture, or solution, is not regulated by law and is sold in retail stores, pharmacies and farm supply stores. It can also be obtained easily via the Internet from horse and farm supply sites and online pharmacies.

Iodine — called “yodo” in Spanish and “black” in slang terms — is a naturally-occurring element that is commercially available as crystals or as a tincture.

Small-scale methamphetamine producers who are unable to obtain iodine crystals occasionally produce them from iodine tincture by mixing iodine tincture with hydrogen peroxide. It is a time-consuming process that yields a very small amount of iodine crystals in relation to the amount of tincture and hydrogen peroxide used.

Iodine tincture for human antiseptic use on wounds and scrapes usually is sold in small quantities, typically in 1-ounce bottles containing 2 percent iodine. These small bottles are sold for $1 to $2. “Strong” iodine tincture — 7 percent concentration — for veterinary use is sold in various sizes from 16-ounce bottles to 50-gallon drums. A 16-ounce bottle of strong iodine is sold for $4 to $6.

The primary ingredients in iodine tincture are ethyl alcohol and water.

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