Pubdate: Thu, 01 May 2003
Source: Neshoba Democrat, The (MS)
Copyright: 2003 The Neshoba Democrat
Contact:  http://www.neshobademocrat.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1774
Author: Chris Allen Baker

SUPES BACK TASK FORCE ON DRUGS AGAIN

One of the biggest drug cases here in more than 20 years could not have 
been prosecuted without the help of the Tri-County Narcotics Task Force, 
the sheriff told the Board of Supervisors in seeking renewal of the agreement.

Citing the results, the Board of Supervisors on April 21 approved continued 
participation in the task force for the coming year, joining the counties 
of Winston, Clay and Oktibbeha, and the cities of West Point, Starkville 
and Philadelphia.

Doyle Callahan, the self-confessed leader of an illegal prescription drug 
ring which spanned more than three states, would never had been prosecuted 
if not for the work of the task force, Sheriff Glen Waddell told supervisors.

The government entities of each city and county operate the task force 
through inter-local agreements that provide the task force with funding and 
personnel to investigate drug cases. Each participant serves a two-year 
term as the lead agency which includes handling the bookkeeping duties and 
serving as a subcontractor to the state. Neshoba is currently serving as 
the lead agency.

Additional funding comes from state and federal grants through the Edward 
Byrne Memorial State Law Enforcement Assistance Grants within the 
Mississippi Department of Public Safety and Planning. Task Force Director 
Russell Gaines of Starkville said they've had a productive year. He 
appeared before the board to see if the county wanted to continue 
participation so he could apply for up to $250,000 in federal grants.

Supervisors expressed unanimous support for the task force, based in part 
to Waddell, who recommended the board continue the county's relationship 
with the agency. Waddell said the task force was an "extremely valuable 
asset" to the county that enabled his department to remain able to fight 
drug activity while attending to a growing load of duties elsewhere in the 
county.

"Our whole operation has outgrown the department," Waddell said. "It is not 
like it was when I took office (in 1985) when I had three deputies and 
myself. We didn't have enough then, but we got by." Today, Waddell said his 
staff of 11 patrol deputies stays busy with domestic violence cases and 
court duties that take up much of their time. "We have so many deputies 
tied up with domestic violence cases," Waddell said. "There is not a day 
that goes by when we don't have a domestic call."

Waddell said his officers are regularly called upon to serve as mediators 
in domestic problems so the incidents do not become bigger problems. 
Combined with handling justice court, juvenile court and circuit court 
cases, the department is stretched too thin to focus heavily on drugs.

"We're not big enough to have a team of drug officers," Waddell said. "The 
task force can totally focus on drug offenses." In his report to 
supervisors, Gaines provided a graph showing the amount of drug 
investigations in the county for fiscal year 2002, from Oct. 1 through 
Sept. 30.

Of all the cases investigated in Neshoba County, the offense of conspiracy 
to distribute illegal substances had the highest percentage of the cases at 
27.78 percent. Sale of cocaine was second with 20.37 percent and 
investigations involving sale of marijuana was 17.59 percent. The remaining 
34.26 percent included other offenses combined such as possession, sales, 
attempts to possess and search warrants on controlled substances, 
paraphernalia and methamphetamine.

There were 108 cases investigated and among the numbers in the 
double-digits, conspiracy to distribute was the leader with 30 cases 
followed by 22 cocaine sale cases, 19 cases for marijuana sales and 10 
cases for sale of controlled substance. Callahan was arrested, along with 
14 others, in a pre-dawn raid, dubbed "Operation Laying Down The Law" on 
March 29, 2002, at a heavily armed communal compound in rural Neshoba County.

Fifteen others were subsequently arrested on drug-related charges in 
connection with the case. Other arrests are expected. The Callahan case was 
considered the task force's major highlight case in the past year. Such an 
accomplishment takes focus and steady attention, Waddell said. "You've got 
to have men out there to take the time it took to get him, and not having 
officers called away for other things," Waddell said. "This was one of the 
biggest while I have been in office." Referring to one other big case where 
a large number of marijuana stalks were found, the Callahan case was 
different, the sheriff said.

"This was a big case because it covered different counties," Waddell said. 
"It is still going, too." Waddell said he understands the criticism his 
department has received from the public at times, but it has often placed 
his department in an awkward situation. The sheriff said people would often 
complain that there are too many people on the street dealing drugs, but in 
many cases there are investigations already under way which officers cannot 
admit or freely discuss without jeopardizing their work.

"I have heard the public's frustration," Waddell said. "We have to work our 
way through by getting through the smaller people to get the bigger 
dealers." Waddell said in the Callahan case, it eventually came down to 
some of the defendants having the choice of whether they were going to look 
out for themselves or continue to protect the bigger dealers.

"Every time you take one drug dealer off the street, you're one ahead," 
Waddell said. "Although another one usually takes his place." Callahan, 
however, is a case which Waddell - who is not seeking re-election - said 
very well could continue into the next sheriff's term after he retires.

Callahan was sentenced in March to 146 months in the Federal Bureau of 
Prisons after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute Schedule 2 and 
Schedule 3 controlled substances such as OxyContin, Dilaudid and Lorcet.

U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate also sentenced Callahan to five years 
of supervised release after serving his time. He was fined $2,500 and a 
$100 special assessment.

Last November on state charges, Callahan pleaded guilty to three counts of 
sale of oxycodone, more commonly known as oxycontin; and one count of sale 
of hydromorphone, more commonly known as dilaudid.

Neshoba County Circuit Court Judge Vernon Cotten sentenced Callahan to 20 
years with the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Five of those were 
suspended, leaving 15 years to serve after which he would be placed on 
post-release supervision for five years.

The state sentence was to run concurrently with the federal sentence. As 
part of his plea agreement, Callahan will be ineligible to receive 
government assistance of any kind for a period of five years after he is 
released from custody.

Shortly after the sentencing, Lt. Don Bartlett of the Tri-County Narcotics 
Task Force said Callahan, 38, was given points which added to his sentence 
for "having a role as an organizer, leader and supervisor of a conspiracy 
to distribute the controlled substances."

U.S. Judge Wingate also signed a preliminary order of forfeiture of 
Callahan's assets including: 19.3 acres of land, four mobile homes, 23 
weapons, $4,000, computers, cameras and other various items.

Law enforcement agencies that participated in the raid along with the task 
force were the sheriff's department, city police, and the FBI.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom