Pubdate: Fri, 18 Jan 2002 Source: Oklahoman, The (OK) Copyright: 2002 The Oklahoma Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.oklahoman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318 Author: Robert Medley OFFICERS MADE FEWER BUSTS IN 2001, TASK FORCE REPORTS Drug and cash busts in Oklahoma City dropped last year, but the seizures uncovered several nationwide drug trafficking networks. For 2001, the task force seized 846 pounds of marijuana, 218 pounds of cocaine, 14.5 pounds of methamphetamine and $628,151 in cash. Officers wrote 3,769 tickets. In 2000, officers seized about 2,000 pounds of marijuana, 400 pounds of cocaine and about $2.5 million in cash. The summary of drug busts made by the Central Oklahoma Metro Interdiction Team, a task force organized by the Oklahoma County district attorney's office, was released Thursday. "We had a successful year because of the amount of drugs we took off the streets," task force director Larry Baker said. The stops have led to drug trafficking investigations nationwide and have uncovered drug-trafficking networks linking the East Coast, West Coast, Mexico and Canada. The task force, consisting of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County law officers, patrols portions of major interstate highways in Oklahoma City. Baker said the task force puts law officers in specially marked cars positioned to make traffic stops when driving violations are noticed. The stops can lead to searches if an officer becomes suspicious. It's difficult to compare the success of the program by looking at numbers, Baker said. On Oct. 17, officers seized 131 pounds of cocaine worth about $6 million on Interstate 35. Baker said on one day in 2000, officers found about $700,000 in drug money inside a car that was stopped for a traffic violation. The most recent stop by the task force will be included in the 2002 statistics. On Friday night, officers stopped a car on Interstate 35 at Hefner Road. The first bust of the year netted 213 pounds of marijuana. Baker said other law agencies in the state, such as the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, did a good job patrolling streets and interstates last year, which may have resulted in fewer drugs to find in Oklahoma City. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart