Pubdate: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 Source: Waxahachie Daily Light (TX) Contact: P.O. Box 877, Waxahachie, TX 75168 Fax: (972) 937-1139 Website: http://thedailylight.com/ Author: Joann Livingston FAMILY BUSINESS? DPS: Drug-Runners Using Children As Shields DPS troopers are voicing their concerns about the latest trend in drug-running -- the use of children as a shield against detection. "It's a sad thing," trooper Lee Coronado said recently at the Ellis County DPS office, where two boys, ages 11 and 13, awaited the arrival of a relative after their parents were taken into custody. "These people are using their kids to facilitate a criminal act. It's ridiculous and it makes me so mad," said Coronado, who recovered 80 pounds of marijuana from the parents' vehicle. This case was one of two publicized last week in Ellis County where troopers found children in the vehicle. In both cases, the troopers filed child endangerment charges in addition to the drug charges. Trooper Jason Meeks had found two children, ages 10 and 7, in a vehicle containing $1.6 million worth of cocaine the day before. "Anytime you place a child in physical or mental harm's way, that's child endangerment," Meeks said, as the two children played quietly in a nearby office, holding Teddy bears given to them by the troopers. "I would definitely say this is something mentally harmful to the children." "In these cases, parents have the desire to sell drugs for money or to supply their own habit, and the kids end up being the true victims," said Stacy Ladd, a spokesman for CPS, which will add these cases to a ever-growing list of drug-related investigations in child abuse and neglect. "We know, as an agency, that anytime you have a parent involved in alcohol or drugs, that it puts the child at risk of neglect," Ladd said. "If the parent is involved in sales or trafficking of drugs, it leads to a lifestyle that's not safe for children. And children shouldn't have to sit in a police station because their parents make bad decisions." CPS will approach its investigation through civil proceedings; law enforcement officials will handle theirs through criminal proceedings. "(Drugs are) a known risk factor for children," said Ladd. "We get a lot of calls from law enforcement; a lot of families are involved and their children are caught in the middle. Many times, parents are arrested and their children have to be placed. If there is no one to take them, we have to find a relative or put them in foster care." Trends come and go in drug-running, DPS Sgt. Larry Adams said. Trends have included the types of cars used -- large, four-door passenger vehicles were once popular, then smaller compacts came into use. Trends also vary as to where the drugs are hidden. Troopers have found drugs inside of tires, gas tanks and door panels. Last week, the cocaine was found in the quarter panel in front of a Tahoe's rear tail light assembly; the marijuana was found under the headliner of a Ford pickup. As law enforcement adapts to the strategies, so those involved with drugs adjust their patterns. "They have as much intelligence on us as we do on them," Adams said. "It's a game that never ends." This latest trend of using children, however, is one the troopers hope ends soon because they see many dangers involved. The odor of marijuana inside of one vehicle pulled over in a non-related case was so intense that the driver -- the sole occupant -- had to have been impaired, Coronado recalls, raising the question of what if a child had been in that vehicle? Even more serious to the troopers is the fact that drugs and guns can easily become entwined, with tragic results. What if other drug traffickers find out about a vehicle's cache of drugs and attack it en route? They worry, hoping that the filing of child endangerment charges will sway parents from using their children in the future. "There is no telling the stories these kids can tell because they are put in positions they shouldn't have to be," Ladd said. "Kids have the right to be safe and to be in an environment that's not chaotic." "Certainly, if it meets the elements of the statute, we will prosecute," said Don Maxfield, chief felony prosecutor for Ellis County, noting this is a newer issue that is arising. The county already prosecutes people for child endangerment if they are intoxicated and have children in the vehicle with them, he said, adding that the filing of multiple charges in a case provides a number of options. "The charges will be resolved in some manner," said Maxfield, who believes these cases will be the first the county prosecutes against "mules" (drug carriers) for having children in the vehicle. "Every case is based on the facts and the law that applies to it," he said. "If the elements are there, we will prosecute." "We see a lot of parents who make bad decisions for themselves, and it impacts their children," Ladd said. "Parents who have their children around drugs are putting their own needs first. And when that happens, there are tragic outcomes."