Pubdate: Fri,  28 Sep 2001
Source: Southern Standard, The (TN)
Copyright: 2001 Southern Standard & The Smithville Review
Contact:  http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=941
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1513

METH DEALERS MUST BE DEALT STIFF PUNISHMENTS

Drug addiction has ripped apart families in this great nation, and families 
right here in Middle Tennessee, like few adversaries. In Warren County and 
surrounding communities, meth is the drug that's now destroying lives with 
astounding frequency. It's the addiction of meth which is causing people to 
rob stores, abandon their children and lose their jobs. Meth has an 
overpowering lure which seizes users and often doesn't give them a chance 
to walk away.

That's why law officers should be commended for their work in Wednesday 
morning's roundup of suspected drug traffickers. It's a roundup aimed 
squarely at the heart of the drug trade not only in Warren County, but 
throughout Southern Tennessee.

Federal drug charges were leveled against more than 100 people who live in 
18 different Tennessee counties. While drug offenders were being booked and 
fingerprinted at Warren County Administrative Offices Wednesday, over a 
dozen more were being charged in Putnam County. Figures show around 60 more 
were also arrested in Wilson County.

This is news Tennessee residents can greet at the front door with open 
arms. If these people are convicted in court for selling or manufacturing 
meth, they need to find the sobering reality of a prison cell.

What's continually been a problem in the past is these criminals typically 
serve three or four months in the county jail, then are released right back 
on the street to make more drugs and distribute more poison. A short jail 
stay does little to promote the long-term vision of a meth-free and 
drug-free society.

What allows Wednesday's roundup to give the local drug trade a real kick in 
the teeth is the fact these suspects have been hand selected to be 
prosecuted at the federal level. It means their days of serving a 120-day 
jail sentence have been tossed out the window. These alleged criminals are 
now staring down the barrel of minimum five-year prison sentences, with 
most standing to serve a good percentage of their lives in a federal prison.

Another reason for optimism is the widespread area blanketed by the 
roundup. By arresting suspects in 18 different counties, authorities have 
their sights set on crippling the drug trafficking network. By nabbing 
enough major players over a large enough area, the production and 
distribution of meth will be hampered.

This means there will be less meth on Warren County streets. It means there 
will be less of an opportunity for meth to fall into the hands of Warren 
County children.

And that is the ultimate goal as law enforcement officers try to choke out 
the local drug trade - to give children a fighting chance at life. This is 
something which can't be accomplished if our children are more concerned 
with finding meth than they are with studying for a test.

With years in prison to think about their crimes, drug traffickers will 
realize they are not wanted and will not be tolerated in this society.
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