UPDATE: Police Round Up Meth "Smurfs" Across Southeast Indiana

By Mike Perleberg Police arrest a person suspected of aiding in a southeast Indiana methamphetamine manufacturing operation as part of a larger warrant sweep conducted Tuesday, October 4. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3. Update published at 7:10 p.m.: According to prosecutors, the following individuals were arrested during Tuesday's warrant sweep tied to a multi-county methamphetamine investigation: Randy Ahaus, Virginia Baird, Sean Berry, Rodney Burke, Anthony Carey, Emily Carey, Donald Clark Jr., Britt King, Caleb Ludwick, Nicholas Riley, Andy Schnebelt, Brian Sechrest, Erica Sechrest, Billy Shaw, Chailley Shaw, Eugene Taylor, Ralph Taylor III, Sylvia Taylor, Scott Wilson,  and Brandon Withers. A total of 27 warrants were issued. Some suspects could not be located Tuesday, but their arrest warrants will remain active. "Of course, these individuals are innocent until proven guilty," said Dearborn-Ohio County Prosecutor Aaron Negangard. Negangard added that four children were living inside the Switzerland County home where a meth lab was located Tuesday. The Indiana Department of Child Services was asked to investigate.   Original story published at 4:06 p.m.: (Versailles, Ind.) - More than a dozen people were arrested as several area law enforcement agencies broke up an expansive methamphetamine ring Tuesday. A total of 27 warrants were issued out of Ripley County court on Tuesday morning. Most of the warrants were for Transfer of Meth Precursor to a Person with the Intent to Manufacture Methamphetamine (level 6 felony), but two were wanted for Dealing in Methamphetamine, a far more serious level 2 felony in Indiana. Officers spent the late morning and afternoon arresting people in Dearborn, Ripley, Switzerland and Decatur counties. Agencies involved include the Ripley County Sheriff's Office, Dearborn County Sheriff's Department, Dearborn County Special Crimes Unit, Indiana State Police, Switzerland County Sheriff's Office, Decatur County Sheriff's Department, Versailles Police Department, and others. Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel addresses media and officers prior to the warrant sweep. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3. One suspect is a Ripley County Highway Department employee who was on a job site at the time the individual was handcuffed. A meth lab was discovered as a warrant was being served in Switzerland County. Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel said Tuesday's roundup was the largest in the county in at least 20 years. "There is a lot of talk about the war on drugs and how we lost and we failed," said Hertel. "I don't see any white flags in this room being waved around at this point in time. We don't believe that the war on drugs is over." Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3. The investigation started in March when eight people were arrested, Hertel said. The investigation included the review of pseudoephedrine purchasing logs kept by pharmacists and police putting in a lot of surveillance time. Negangard described the operation as one which utilized a method called "smurfing". That's where a meth cooks provide the drug or money to addicts - the "smurfs" - if they purchase and provide to the cook cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine. Pseudoephedrine is a crucial ingredient in the meth making process. "Essentially, they are co-conspirators int he manufacture of methamphetamine," said Negangard. "Without these individuals, there can't be the meth. So they're a significant part of that process and need to be prosecuted." While heroin gets a lot of attention in the news headlines these days, Hertel says Indiana's meth problem never went away. As recently as 2014, the state ranked number one in the nation for meth lab seizures. Hertel added that there are two main sources of meth in Ripley County and the surrounding area. Some of the meth is made by local cooks, those targeted in Tuesday's roundup. Much of the rest, crystal meth, is trafficked in by cartels. Each of the suspects arrested Tuesday, regardless of where they were located, were taken to the Ripley County Jail to face charges there. When asked if there was room in the county jail, Sheriff Jeff Cumberworth quipped, "We'll squeeze them in." Eagle Country 99.3 will publish a list of the meth suspects when it is provided by prosecutors. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3.