Pubdate: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 Source: Press-Register (Mobile, AL) Copyright: 2007 Mobile Register Contact: http://www.al.com/mobileregister/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/269 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) DRUGS ACROSS THE BAY PONDER THIS troubling probability: that the majority of illegal drugs sold on the East Coast travel through Mobile and Baldwin County via Interstate 10, often on commercial tractor-trailer rigs, headed to drug distribution operations in Atlanta. If that's true -- and illegal-drug experts say it is -- then there's too much drug traffic across Mobile Bay for any one law enforcement agency to make a dent in it. Commercial vehicles haul hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine, tons of marijuana and millions of dollars a year along America's interstates, according to Tom Wade, Mobile's resident Drug Enforcement Administration agent. A lot of it travels through Mobile and Baldwin counties on I-10. The numbers are daunting. There are about 10.6 million commercial drivers licenses in the United States, but only about 6,000 state troopers, whose main responsibility is vehicle safety issues ? ticketing speeders and handling accidents. Federal agents and county and city law enforcement, though, can provide valuable manpower to focus on drug enforcement. That's why a newly created joint operation involving the sheriffs of Mobile and Baldwin counties and the DEA makes sense. It will be even better if Mobile and Daphne police join the effort. Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran's involvement in the cooperative drug-interdiction project is especially noteworthy. Since his election last year, Sheriff Cochran has moved the department in positive directions, including shifting deputies to high-crime areas of the county, convincing the County Commission to add more deputies, and showing a refreshing willingness to work with other law enforcement agencies. As for the drug-interdiction program, the cooperation will allow more officer teams to cruise I-10. The deputies will be deputized as federal agents, so they can cross county and state lines during investigations, enhancing their abilities to track, find and stop drug traffickers. In addition, deputies recently attended training sessions to learn about commercial trucking and the red flags that can tip off officers that a truck may be carrying drugs. Stemming the flood of illicit drugs traveling through Mobile and Baldwin counties will require an effective presence by law enforcement. Cooperation among agencies and continued training can provide the kind of response that can take a bite out of the illegal drug traffic on I-10. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake