S.L. meth rampant, ex-cook warns

Methamphetamine affects every person in Salt Lake City, whether they know it or not — and the problem is only getting worse, according to a man who should know.

Furthermore, meth producers have developed new ways of making the drug that make them more covert than ever before, says "Chef," a man who claims to have been one of the biggest dealers in the city.

"It's out of control. There are so many new ways you can refine meth that you don't know about." The problem, he said, "is not getting any better."

The Deseret Morning News agreed not to publish the man's real name because of concerns for his safety. He is in a halfway house after serving time at the Utah State Prison and is expected to be released in about a month. He wants to give something back to the community by sharing his knowledge of today's meth producers with the public and law enforcers.

In drug terms, a "cook" is someone who makes methamphetamine. This man said he was a "chef," the nickname being used here, because he produced only the highest quality meth.

"I was cooking 'preferred stock,' " he said. "The most potent, the most deadly form of meth."

At one time, "Chef" estimates, he was the No. 5 or No. 6 meth distributor in Salt Lake City, raking in about $140,000 a year "without even trying," he said. Chef became big enough that he didn't bother with small quantities of street sales. He sold to a group of only about a dozen and a half middlemen.

Chef figures that at any given time in the Salt Lake Valley there is "$4 million to $5 million in meth out there."

"And that's just the local dealers."

Battling meth

Law enforcers who know this man say his claims of being a top meth producer seem to be legitimate.

"I don't think he's blowing smoke at all," said Bonneville Community Correctional Center supervisor Bradley Bassi. "The folks he named to me, I know about three quarters of them, and they're extremely active. They're thought of in the criminal world to be top-notch in their field."

In June, Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine, said Utah ranked among the top 10 states for meth labs and was No. 1 for speed cookeries per capita.