Pubdate: Tue, 11 May 2004
Source: St. Joseph News-Press (MO)
Copyright: 2004 The News-Press, St. Joseph, Missouri
Contact:  http://www.stjoenews-press.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1510
Author: Ken Newton

DEA AGENT SEEN AS BIG BOOST IN AREA'S BATTLE AGAINST DRUGS

Those who manufacture and distribute drugs like the dark. But those
fighting the drug wars in Northwest Missouri just got a bigger
flashlight. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has assigned an
agent to St. Joseph, bringing federal assistance to what officials
term a persistent methamphetamine problem in the region.

Congressman Sam Graves, the Northwest Missouri representative who has
long advocated the position, made the announcement Monday at the
headquarters of the Drug Strike Force.

The agent has begun a 90-day assignment, to expire in July, and will
file a report with the St. Louis divisional office about drug activity
in Northwest Missouri. From that information, the DEA will determine
whether a permanent agent in St. Joseph is needed.

Mr. Graves, who last fall outlined the region's case for DEA
Administrator Karen Tandy, believes the situation warrants a permanent
presence.

"As confident as I am about the seriousness of the drug problem in
Northwest Missouri, that's how confident I am that we're going to get
that permanent agent," he told the gathering of sheriffs, prosecutors,
city and county officials and other law-enforcement officers.

In discussing the matter with Ms. Tandy in October, Mr. Graves used
statistics about clandestine operations and drug busts in Missouri,
then pointed out the proximity to drug problems in neighboring states.

"She's new and has very much an open mind," he said about the
administrator. "It made sense to her."

Mike Strong, Drug Strike Force coordinator, said the
interjurisdictional aspect of the federal presence proves especially
helpful since meth makers might move their operations across state
lines.

"With the federal guy with us, we wouldn't have to stop," he said.

Mr. Strong also pointed out that the federal system also offers asset
forfeiture, phone-tapping capabilities and a wide range of
informational resources.

"They're in a great position to call in even more assets," said Mr.
Strong, who also thanked the congressman for his role in securing a
$300,000 grant that will add officers to the strike force.

St. Joseph Police Chief Mike Hirter called the DEA presence a real
boost to local law-enforcement efforts. "I feel real safe in standing
here saying that I don't really think anybody here ever imagined we
would get a DEA agent in this area," he said.

Mr. Graves thinks the federal agency will help local officers make
those in the illicit drug business feel uncomfortable plying their
trade here. "Drug dealers are like cockroaches," he said. "They just
find any shadow to hide in."
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