Pubdate: Fri, 02 Aug 2002
Source: Ponca City News, The (OK)
Page: A1
Copyright: 2002 The Ponca City News.
Contact:  http://www.poncacitynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1928
Author: David Davis

NARCOTICS ARRESTS SLOW DRUG TRAFFIC

NEWKIRK -- Just after 6 a.m. Wednesday, officers from eight agencies began 
executing 35 arrest warrants stemming from an undercover operation starting 
several months ago.

The operation centered in Blackwell, but carried over into Ponca City with 
multiple arrests in both cities. Virtually every warrant was for felony 
distribution of narcotics.

Investigator James Leone of the District Attorney's Drug Task Force was the 
officer in charge of the operation. Leone said, "We had to coordinate a 
simultaneous execution of felony warrants at multiple locations within the 
public housing complex. This was a very intensive operation that involved 
video surveillance of drug transactions involving methamphetamine, 
marijuana and cocaine.

"This operation involved numerous public housing apartments within 1000 
block of South 10th in Blackwell and we believe we have taken a substantial 
amount of illegal drugs off the street in the Kay County area."

District Attorney Mark Gibson said, "This operation has been a focus of our 
drug task force for the last several months. The public housing authorities 
have been, extremely cooperative in our efforts to eliminate drugs from the 
public housing areas.

"Distributing drugs within 2,000 feet of a public housing area doubles the 
punishment The work of our officers on this operation certainly will have a 
significant impact on the safety of public housing projects in this area."

Gibson also stated that other arrest warrants would be forthcoming in the 
next several days.

Participating agencies included the District Attorney's Drug Task Force, 
Blackwell Police Department, Kay County Sheriff's Department, Ponca City 
Police Department, Newkirk Police Department, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, 
Oklahoma Department of Corrections, and the Kaw Nation Police Department.

Related Incidents

In related events, officers from the Kay County Sheriff's Office, the 
Eighth District Attorney's Drug Task Force, and the White Eagle Police 
Department seized four methamphetamine labs in the last two days. The first 
three labs were seized in Ponca City and Ponca Tribal land. The Eighth 
District Drug Task Force has two officers certified to process and destroy 
clandestine methamphetamine laboratories.

At the request of the White Eagle Police, the District Attorney's Drug Task 
Force and Kay County Sheriff's Department assisted the White Eagle Police 
in seizing and destroying two labs on Indian land. The labs were discovered 
after a cooperative investigation between all three agencies after an 
investigation that began just outside of Ponca City.

The fourth lab was seized after deputies from the Kay County Sheriff's 
Department investigated suspicious activity in rural Kay County near 
Newkirk. The Kay County Sheriff's Department called the District Attorney's 
Drug Task Force to assist and process the clandestine lab.

Concerning the lab seizures, Gibson said, "One of the objectives of our 
drug task force is to oversee cooperation between all agencies in combating 
drug activity. Methamphetamine labs are extremely mobile. One of these 
investigations took place in three separate jurisdictions, which 
illustrates the importance of interagency cooperation. The Kay County 
Sheriff's Department was instrumental in both of these investigations and 
these successful operations were the result of the excellent relationship 
we have with the Kay County Sheriffs' Department."

Kay County Sheriff Craig Countryman said, "Deputies Terry Rose and Bill 
Grose put in extra effort while on routine patrol and it continues to pay 
off with taking dangerous labs off of the streets. We have several rural 
co-ops in Kay County that store anhydrous ammonia This is an important 
ingredient in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. I think my deputies 
lead the state in the interdiction of methamphetamine labs at anhydrous 
ammonia theft sites. Our cooperative relationship with the District 
Attorney Drug Task Force is a great benefit to Kay County."
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