Pubdate: Mon, 15 Jan 2001 Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Copyright: 2001 Richmond Newspapers Inc. Contact: P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293 Fax: (804) 775-8072 Feedback: http://www.gatewayva.com/feedback/totheeditor.shtml Website: http://www.timesdispatch.com/ Author: Calvin R. Trice VALLEY BATTLES ILLEGAL DRUGS Authorities Expecting State, Federal Assistance Shenandoah Valley law enforcement officials expect to get state and federal assistance that will help combat the wave of methamphetamine traffic that has flooded the region in recent years. Commonwealth's attorneys believe a proposal before the General Assembly to expand prosecutors' power to call investigative grand juries could tilt the criminal battles against the illicit drug trade in their favor. On the federal level, Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-10th, announced the availability of $250,000 in drug-fighting money for the Virginia State Police to help local authorities stem the methamphetamine tide. The grand jury measure was introduced as part of state Attorney General Mark L. Earley's anti-crime package. The bill passed the House of Delegates on a 67-28 vote Thursday and awaits Senate consideration. It would grant local grand juries called by individual prosecutors the power to investigate and compel testimony. That power is currently possessed only by multijurisdictional grand juries that are each impaneled by prosecutors from several localities. An attorney representing defense lawyers called the change unnecessary political gimmickry. "The police are not going to say that they are unable to make cases," said Marvin Miller, president of the Virginia College of Criminal Defense Attorneys. "They've got so many cases now they can't prosecute them all. It is just a gimmick to get more money for prosecutors and police." State prosecutors have been lobbying for the change in special grand jury law for some time, said Earley spokesman David Botkins. It would apply to all crimes in the state but would be particularly effective for pursuing drug cases, Botkins said. "Tracking down drug gangs and traffickers is difficult enough as it is," he said. "Then, you've got witnesses that are reluctant to testify. Hopefully, they'll be more likely to come forward with vital information then they have immunity and confidentiality." The ability to summon local grand juries with broad probing power would make it easier for prosecutors to gather evidence up the drug trafficking hierarchy the way federal prosecutors do to nab high-level dealers. Prosecutors in local cases would be able to amass more evidence for stronger charges, said Paul Thomson, Winchester's commonwealth's attorney. "The more you compel testimony, the more comes in that leads to substantial evidence rather than relying on flimsy evidence," Thomson said. The Constitution grants individuals the right to refuse testimony that could incriminate them. However, federal grand juries and state panels that cover more than one city or county can force people to testify in exchange for immunity. With immunity, the witnesses' statements can't be used for a criminal case against them. A catalyst for Earley's proposal was the case of Kevin Shifflett, an 8-year-old Alexandria boy who was stabbed to death while playing in a relative's yard. The suspect's relatives testified before a federal grand jury but could not be compelled to do so before one in state court in Alexandria. The new law would have allowed the Alexandria commonwealth's attorney to apply for a special grand jury that could have forced the testimony. Multijurisdictional grand juries are used for cases that cross local boundaries. Such juries have been used in methamphetamine cases in the valley, but the panels often don't fulfill their potential because of changing sheriffs or commonwealth's attorneys or because of disputes among localities, Thomson said. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration recently identified the Shenandoah Valley as a major distribution center for methamphetamine in the mid-Atlantic region. In 1999, the two regional drug task forces in the northern Shenandoah Valley seized 99 percent of all the "speed" confiscated in the state. On Wednesday, federal prosecutors announced that a grand jury sitting in Charlottesville indicted two suspected dealers on possession and distribution charges based on the seizure of methamphetamine found at the New Market home of one of the suspects. The 9-pound confiscation represents the largest methamphetamine seizure in Virginia history, prosecutors said. The federal case originated in Shenandoah County, one of the localities within the purview of a state special grand jury that covers the northern valley area. "It took us an enormous effort" to bring it together, Thomson said. "We've had two [special grand juries] that accomplished a great deal but ultimately failed because of jurisdictional in-fighting." With the power to compel testimony, prosecutors are able to use the statements of lower-level drug dealers to bring charges against the kingpins who are the sources of the illicit trade, Thomson said. Defense attorneys believe the proposal would unnecessarily expand the power of law enforcement, Miller said. Local law enforcement officers already can work in cooperation with federal police and prosecutors who tie together investigations from far-flung states and try defendants in courts where they can get the longest sentences, he said. There's no need for more special grand juries, he said, calling the proposal election-year salesmanship. The $250,000 announced by Wolf, whose congressional district includes the northern Shenandoah Valley, was set aside in the final congressional spending bill last month to help fight valley drug trafficking, according to a news release from Wolf's office. The money is part of $48.5 million allotted nationally for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program for methamphetamine "hot spots." The money will be available to the state police, who will work with local law enforcement agencies to combat the drug traffic, the release said. A state police spokeswoman said the funds will be used in the valley and other parts of the state that are identified as target areas. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D