Pseudoephedrine database leads to S.F. meth lab bust

A Sioux Falls methamphetamine lab bust last week is the latest win for a national database that tracks sales of a key ingredient used to make the drug.

The Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force served a search warrant Thursday morning at 612 S. Lincoln Ave., where they found a one-pot meth lab, methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Jon Eric Leonard, 38, was arrested on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, keeping a place where a controlled substance is used and stored, possession of paraphernalia and violation of a drug free zone.

Sioux Falls Police spokesman Sam Clemens said police were alerted about the suspect's repeated pseudoephedrine purchases by an automated tracking system the state began using last summer.

The National Precursor Law Exchange, NPLEX, lets law enforcement agencies track pseudoephedrinesales. The state began requiring retailers to report sales to the database last July.

Leonard had purchased enough to draw attention from the police.

"They believed he was in possession of meth," Clemens said. "They weren't sure if he had a lab, but they knew it was possible."

After serving the warrant and searching the home, Clemens said, police concluded Leonard had been manufacturing meth because he had all of the components necessary to make the drug.

The NPLEX system was introduced in South Dakota at the request of Attorney General Marty Jackley in the 2014 legislative season and went live in July 2014.

The main goal was to implement an electronic version of the record keeping that was already required in order to aid real-time tracking of pseudoephedrine products, Jackley said. If someone is buying more than the state law limit, a stop-sale alert is posted at the register.

"This was meant as prevention over prosecution," Jackley said. "The number of times it has blocked sales has gone up and has prevented inappropriate use."

While Jackley said the program was aimed for prevention, he said it has been useful in a handful of arrests, such as the most recent one.

"It's used to build probable cause for a warrant that can be used for prosecution of a criminal," he said. "It's not a tool solely meant to get arrests, but it is one of many tools used."