I read the Great Bend Tribune article: “Three women in a Caravan busted for meth” (Oct. 24 issue). While I am glad that the three Great Bend women in a Dodge Caravan (as opposed to a caravan of cars) were busted for possession of meth, violation of traffic laws, open-container laws, and other offenses, the women’s bonds should have been higher. One had a $10,000 bond; the second woman had no bond; and the third woman had a $10,000 bond. All three had charges for “possession of meth.”

I’ve never touched meth in my life, but almost every family in America has been touched by some family member who has either been addicted to meth or connected to someone with meth; and the most important aspect is that meth costs big money. I did  a random Google search and a report said that the street value of meth can cost up to $21,000 per pound. Common sense indicates that these three woman probably aren’t billionaires and they probably obtained their meth via illicit trading.

That is the danger of meth; it can force addicts into other criminal activities such as theft or prostitution to pay for their drug habit. It is almost impossible that the three women had their entire “stash” of meth in the one vehicle. With such prices, the women could have larger quantities of meth at their residences, have a friend “sell” a pound or so and be bailed out for a “drug offense” ironically using “drug money” to do it. Hence, the bond should have been $250,000 or higher. Even if only 10% were required for the bondsman, the judges and courts should impose bonds to deter the possibility of such easy postings of bonds. It isn’t doing society a favor: a low bond could encourage the offender to simply post bond and “flee.”

Let’s do a reality check, we’re dealing with people possessing meth and somehow having the means (usually illicit) to obtain it. A “bond” should be reasonable, yet its purpose is to “anchor” the defendant to the area to assure that they will appear-in-court when the designated court-date approaches. Meth has destroyed many lives. Meth has even precipitated many people’s deaths. Therefore, judicial “bonds” for meth offenses should be high-enough to justify the alleged crime, and not allow dopers to use dope to bail themselves out only to re-offend.

James A Marples,

Esbon