Pubdate: Mon, 15 Apr 2002
Source: Gadsden Times, The (AL)
Copyright: 2002 The Gadsden Times
Contact:  http://www.gadsdentimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1203
Author: Lisa Rogers

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES COOPERATING IN WAR ON DRUGS

Cooperation among federal, state and local agencies has led to some 
lengthy jail time for drug dealers arrested in the Gadsden area, 
authorities said. "We have seen the dismantlement of some major drug 
organizations," said Assistant District Attorney Jimmie Harp, who 
prosecutes most of the county's drug cases. The district attorney's 
office works often with Gadsden and Etowah County narcotics agents, 
but recently those agencies worked on several major cases with agents 
of the FBI and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. Working so 
closely all started when police arrested Joseph Crews in 1999 after 
his home on Elmwood Avenue was raided, said Danny Garnett, special 
agent with the FBI assigned to the Gadsden office. Crews' home, known 
by police as a crack house, was raided in May 1999 by local officers, 
he said. Two women were shot to death there two months later.

Crews was tried and convicted in federal court and was sentenced to 
20 years on federal drug-trafficking charges, Garnett said. "That's 
when we started to realize we were all working on a piece of the 
puzzle," Garnett said. "We've all been able to share information. "We 
didn't work against each other, but we didn't communicate," he said. 
"Maybe we can prevent some of these problems by working together." 
The dismantlement of the Crews organization led to the investigations 
of two other families, Garnett said. Several people in connection 
with those investigations have pleaded guilty, Garnett said. Some 
have been sentenced and other sentencing hearings are set for next 
month. One family operated a drug operation in the Green Pastures 
area of Gadsden, Garnett said. Jermaine Jackson, 25, was sentenced to 
20 years, but has appealed the sentence, Garnett said. Kenny T. 
Jackson, 51, was sentenced to 10 years.

Luster Gene Jackson, 38, was sentenced to 20 years, and Surina 
Miller, 31, was sentenced to 30 months. The other family had a drug 
operation on Tennessee Avenue, Garnett said. As part of that 
operation, Chris Lowe and Antoine Cotton pleaded guilty and recently 
were sentenced to 60 months.

Tony Smith also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 37 months. 
Brothers Marcus and Antwain Harvey both have pleaded guilty and are 
set for sentencing in May. At first, local agencies were making drug 
possession cases and trafficking cases on individuals and individual 
buys, Harp said. "You have small buys, big buys and then start 
consolidating under one umbrella," Harp said. "It has made a big 
difference in the drug business in this area." Then the local 
agencies started working with the FBI and the cases could be 
consolidated for a conspiracy charge, which can carry stiffer 
penalties. When someone is sentenced to 20 years, the sentence is 
usually at least 85 percent of the sentence, Garnett said. "We were 
able to prosecute the organization," Garnett said. The success of 
these cases has led to more investigations, Garnett said. "We've 
taken a different approach to the drug problems in this county and 
surrounding counties," he said. "We want to send the message there 
are more cases to come." Anytime there is a joint operation between 
state and federal agencies, the judges, prosecutors and agents all 
have a role, he said. "When we're able to remove one crime problem, 
it frees up police agencies to address new problems," he said. "It's 
been a lot of extra work, but it has paid off." The investigations 
are a culmination of a lot of long hours on weekends and nights, Harp 
said. "It has meant time away from our families," he said, "but I'm 
happy with the sentences.

I'm satisfied with the results of our efforts." At the same time the 
investigation into the local drug problem in Etowah County was 
ongoing, a major case in which marijuana and cocaine were brought in 
from Texas was investigated, Garnett said. In January, three people 
were sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty last year, 
Garnett said. Elias Aguirre Jr. was sentenced to 15 years and eight 
months, while two others were sentenced to three years or less for 
trafficking in the drugs. "The delivery was intercepted before the 
drugs made it to the local streets," he said. Much of the 
investigation into cases in which people are now being sentenced 
began as early as 1997, said Randall Johnson, commander of the Etowah 
County Drug and Major Crime Task Force. "Sometimes people don't 
realize how long it takes to see results," Johnson said. "We get a 
complaint about drug dealers in a certain neighborhood and those 
people don't see anything immediate.

They think that nothing is being done." Many residents in the East 
Gadsden neighborhoods where drug organizations were operated have 
seen a difference, Garnett said. "It's a safer place than it used to 
be," he said. "Those people can get out and walk the streets at night 
if they want to." Garnett said he hopes the success of these 
investigations sends a message. "This is just the beginning," he 
said. "These people are spending some major time in jail. We hope the 
message goes out to the street and maybe the younger ones won't look 
up to those who are dealing drugs."
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