Meth makers add strawberry flavor

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas police officers had seen leftover methamphetamine ingredients just like the mess they found in a suspected cook’s trash can last month. What gave them pause this time were the packets of strawberry-flavored children’s drink mix next to the bin.

It was among the officers’ first encounters with “Strawberry Quick,” the latest version of methamphetamine, a drug authorities say manufacturers are constantly remaking to keep their customer base growing.

From lollipops to high-sugar sodas, law enforcement officials say they’ve found meth cut with a variety of candies, drinks and other materials over the years. Officials say the “designer meth” can smooth the ingestion of the drug, making it easier for first-time users to try.

“It’s really a bitter substance … so if you’re going to try to make it more consumable for the masses, then you’re going to want to try to take that edge off whichever way you can,” said Chris Harrison, chief illicit laboratory chemist at the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory.

“Strawberry Quick” came to prominence in January, after the Nevada Department of Public Safety issued a bulletin describing the type of meth there, said Steve Robertson, a Washington-based spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration. DEA agents have since heard reports of flavored meth appearing in Missouri, Texas, Washington state and Wisconsin.

“Strawberry Quick” uses powdered drink mix to give the drug a pink coloring. The sweetness of the powder can make meth more palatable and partially masks its harsh chemical taste.

Cutting the meth also may soften the burning sensation some have when snorting the powdered drug, Harrison said.

“It’s a different spin, like a marketing thing,” said William Bryant, agent in charge of the DEA’s office in Little Rock.