Pubdate: Tue, 19 Jun 2001 Source: Ogdensburg Journal/Advance News (NY) Copyright: 2001 St. Lawrence County Newspapers Corp Contact: Accepts LTEs by mail only! Website: http://www.ogd.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/689 DRUG TASK FORCE ARRESTING 50 St.Lawrence County's Drug Task Force fanned out across the county early this morning armed with arrest warrants in what law enforcement officials are describing as the biggest drug raid since the inter agency group was created. With assistance from federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents, Ogdensburg police, village police, Sheriff's Deputies and a coordinated series of predawn raids on the homes of suspected dealers. St. Lawrence county Sheriff Gary Jarvis says the arrests involve a variety of drugs, ranging from marijuana, cocaine, crack, ecstasy to LSD. They represent the culmination of a year of multi agency investigations throughout St. Lawrence County and over one hundred controlled buys funded by the St. Lawrence County Legislature and the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation. The Drug Task Force includes members from the Sheriff's Department, Ogdensburg Police, Massena Police, Potsdam Police. Gouverneur Police, Canton Police. SUNY Potsdam Police and SUNY Canton police. The task force also received assistance from the National Guard Counter Drug Detachment, the New York State Police Narcotics Unit, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs. U.S. Border Patrol, the St. Lawrence County District Attorney's office and the United States Attorney office for the Northern District. Sheriff Jarvis declined to release a list of suspects targeted in the pre-dawn drug sweep, saying that he did not want any of them tipped off that officers were coming for them if they were not there when officers arrived at their homes this morning. Officers had gathered at police stations across the county at 4:43 a.m. this morning for last minute briefings before fanning out across the region, armed with warrants to make arrests in the drug sweep. More than 100 federal, state, county and local law enforcement officers were involved in the multi agency raids. All of the suspects were to be held at St. Lawrence County Jail here, according to Jarvis, to await their arraignment in county court next door. The sheriff said this morning that 26 inmates now housed there will be moved temporarily to county jails in Franklin and Oneida counties to accommodate the occupancy of the drug suspects. St. Lawrence County District Attorney Jerome Richards. who presented the cases to the Grand Jury to obtain the arrest warrants, scheduled a press conference for this afternoon where agency officials were to discuss the arrests. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth