| COPS PROBE DRUG SECRET BEHIND LACI'S MURDER: The Laci Peterson murder investigation has taken a surprising new turn as police probe a suspected connection between accused killer Scott Peterson and the illegal drug trade. Cops believe there may be a link between heavy spending by Scott - a fertilizer salesman, and Modesto's flourishing black market in methamphetamine, which contains a fertilizer compound as a key ingredient, The ENQUIRER has learned. Scott reportedly burned though tens of thousands of dollars just before the murder of his wife and unborn son, and friends say he and Laci fought over his lavish spending. "Shortly before her disappearance Laci told her family that she was worried about Scott's spending and didn't know where he was getting all the money he was going through, said a family friend who is close to the investigation. In December, just weeks before Laci was reported missing on Christmas Eve, Scott joined the upscale DelRio Country Club at a cost of $25,000. He also bought a 14 ft. aluminum fishing boat with out telling his wife. "Laci said she was shocked when she learned that Scott had bought a boat," said the family friend. Modesto and the surrounding California Central Valley region are considered the U.S. capital for the production of methamphetamine, a widely used stimulant that causes euphoria. Police suspect Scott may have played a role in illegal drug activity. "Police think that Scott's expensive lifestyle may be more than would be expected on the commissions of a fertilizer salesman, unless Scott was dealing in the black market trade with any of the many methamphetamine makers, or 'cookers,'" said an investigator. "The meth cookers have to go to the black market to get the fertilizer compound, anhydrous ammonia. It is the only ingredient in the drug that can't be bought over the counter at a local pharmacy." Unlike the other ingredients, Acetone, and common cold medicines such as Pseudoephedrine or Ephedrine, the sale of Anhydrous ammonia is restricted by law. The high-nitrogen fertilizer costs about $2 a gallon when used for legal purposes on the farm to keep crops green. But on the street, as the juice for home "cooked" meth, it brings between $60 and $200 a gallon. "The DEA guys want to know if Scott Peterson has been supplying the fertilizer ingredient to any of the meth labs in the valley," said a source inside the investigation. "They are also curious about Peterson's recent trips to Mexico, which is a centerfor the international methamphetamine trade." Court documents obtained by The ENQUIRER show that wiretap evidence and subpoenaed records of Scott Peterson's cell phone usage have been turned over to the Stanislaus (County) Drug Enforcement Agency. But authorities won't disclose whether they have uncovered any evidence that indicates Peterson has been involved in the sale of fertilizer to meth makers. Kelly Houston, a spokesman for the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Dept. told the ENQUIRER, "It is not unusual for narcotics officers to be doing wiretaps in the Peterson case, the DEA guys are the most experienced in handling wiretaps." However, Stanislaus District Attorney, Jim Brazelton may have tipped his hand when he opposed live television coverage in the courtroom during evidence hearings scheduled for September in Scott Peterson's case. In court papers, Brazelton said, "Cameras in the court might expose the identities of undercover investigators." The investigator told The ENQUIRER, " You don't need undercover detectives in a homicide investigation. You use undercover investigators in a narcotics investigation." HOME INDEX SCOTT EVIDENCE-NEWS MAGAZINES LKL TRANSCRIPTS AUTOPSY INDEX WIRETAP INDEX ALIBI-WITNESS LIST INCONSISTANT STATEMENTS |
| LACI & CONNER May Justice Prevail |
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| NATIONAL ENQUIRER SEPT 2, 2003 |