Vernal Police Chief Gary Jensen said his department is seeing a rise in drug cases again this year and has already surpassed its five-year average for meth-related arrests. But Jensen, a former undercover narcotics agent in Davis County, isn't sure how much of the problem can be directly attributed to oilfield workers.

"We don't track employment information when we make arrests," he said.

Still, because a criminal history is not a limiting factor in securing most jobs in the industry, some of the demand for oilfield labor is being met by people who have already been in trouble with the law for drug use or drug-related crimes.

"The majority of our offenders are working in the oilfield," said Adult Probation and Parole Agent Brad Draper, who oversees operations in the Uinta Basin for the state Department of Corrections.

Draper said his agents are responsible for 563 offenders. A review of the case files shows that 430 of those offenders — a little over 76 percent — are under supervision for meth crimes, or for offenses that Draper said were related to meth, such as theft, burglary and aggravated assault.

Greg Todd, an area manager for Nabors Drilling, said he "interrogates" job applicants about their past, and has to make a judgment call whenever he decides to hire someone with a history of drug use. He recently hired 20 new employees knowing that at least a quarter of them have used illegal substances in the past.

But unlike other companies, Nabors, which has crews working in Uintah, Duchesne, Carbon and Sanpete counties, has maintained its zero-tolerance stand on drugs. A positive test, or a refusal to test, means immediate termination, Todd said, with the fired employee's name entered in the international company's database preventing them from ever being rehired.

"The boys can play," Todd said, "but if the boys get caught, they can never work for us again. They know the rules before they play the game."

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E-mail: geoff@ubstandard.com