Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jun 2002
Source: Goldsboro News-Argus (NC)
Copyright: 2002, Goldsboro News-Argus
Contact:  http://www.newsargus.com/index.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/969

TOP LAW OFFICERS PAY TRIBUTE TO SURRATT'S 30 YEARS

For almost 30 years, Steve Surratt has fought drug traffickers in eastern 
North Carolina. On Wednesday night, his colleagues honored him for his 
dedicated service.

Surratt, a Goldsboro resident, retired May 31 as the special agent in 
charge of the 23-county Northeast District of the State Bureau of 
Investigations that stretches from Wayne County to the Virginia line and 
east to the coast.

The program at the American Legion building was as much a celebration of 
Surratt's service as it was one final time for his law-enforcement friends 
to poke fun at the way he did it.

Surratt received many plaques of appreciation, but he also got the highest 
honor bestowed on a North Carolina citizen by the state, the Order of the 
Long Leaf Pine, from the state's top lawman, Bryan Beatty, the secretary of 
the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety and a former director of 
the SBI.

Beatty said Surratt had a stellar career with the bureau, including a long 
stint as a drug agent and a term as president of the N.C. Narcotic 
Enforcement Officers Association.

One of the bureau's assistant directors, Al Stevens, said Surratt was "an 
agent's agent. Nobody could chase a doper like Steve Surratt could. ... He 
locked up a lot of bad people in North Carolina."

Surratt's first big drug case was investigating and arresting members of 
Ike Atkinson's international heroin smuggling ring from 1978 to 1982. The 
ring "had flooded eastern North Carolina with heroin," Surratt said and 
"had tentacles out all over eastern North Carolina." Forty people were 
indicted because of his work.

In 1986, Surratt also initiated and implemented the state grand jury 
program to investigate major drug traffickers. The first cases were in 
Brunswick and Bladen counties.

Then he worked for seven years to end a far-flung drug trafficking ring 
that stretched from North Carolina to Texas and Mexico. The investigation 
started in Wayne and Lenoir counties and led to the arrest and conviction 
of about 250 traffickers.

U.S. Attorney Eric Evenson said the cases Surratt worked on required strategy.

"These people would just as soon cut your heart out as look at you," he 
said. "His job required late-night work, dealing with the bureaucracy in 
getting judges to sign orders. It took its toll, but I never saw Steve wane 
in his effort."

Evenson called Surratt the Cal Ripken of the district, referring to 
baseball's "iron man." Only a limited number of people can do these cases, 
he said. "We are suffering with your loss today," the attorney said.

One of Surratt's bosses, Melanie Thomas, an assistant director of the SBI, 
presented him with a certificate of appreciation, his badge, his weapon and 
his credentials. The director, Robin Pendergraft, then read a letter of his 
career accomplishments.

But several speakers made fun of Surratt's fondness of travel at state 
expense and his scheming. Malcolm McLeod, a retired SBI agent, said Surratt 
was "world famous for these trips I call junkets. He would have made a 
wonderful congressman." McLeod noted that Surratt was elected president of 
the state drug agents' association and "hadn't worked a drug case in 15 years."

Surratt helped form the Goldsboro-Wayne County Drug Squad with Robert 
Stocks and Jimmy Snipes. Retiring Goldsboro Police Chief J.W. Warrick Jr. 
thanked Surratt for his work in the Atkinson case on behalf of beat cops.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart