Pubdate: Fri, 02 Sep 2005
Source: Princeton Times, The (WV)
Copyright: 2005 The Princeton Times
Contact:  http://www.bdtonline.com/ptonline/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3692
Author: Tammie Toler

GOING DEEP UNDERCOVER

PRINCETON - The key to successfully investigating drug trading 
organizations often depends on getting inside the operations, but that's 
difficult to do in a uniform and a squad car.

That's why units such as the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task 
Force are critically important in the fight to stem drug deals and demand 
on the streets of Four Seasons Country, task force Coordinator J. Centeno 
said this week.

The six officers on the three-county force come from a variety of 
backgrounds and departments. The organization includes one officer each 
from the West Virginia State Police, Princeton Police Department, Bluefield 
Police Department, Mercer County Sheriff's Department, Wyoming County 
Sheriff's Department and the McDowell County Sheriff's Department.

They log long days and put themselves in harm's way, often working in 
undercover operations that force them to become part of the lifestyle they 
really fight to dismantle, Centeno said.

Still, at the end of the day, or the investigation, he said the job's toll 
is worth it when there are fewer drugs in a region, a neighborhood, or even 
a single home.

Now 4 years old, the drug and violent crime task force was created in 
August 2000, after members of the Bluefield and Princeton police 
departments and the West Virginia State Police recognized a need for more 
highly-trained, mobile manpower and federal funding to combat the surge in 
drug activity, Centeno said.

At the time, there was a similar task force in place, but it was 
headquartered in Raleigh County. Consequently, Centeno said, most of the 
officers were from the Beckley area, and the force rarely had the time or 
the officers to investigate drug activity in Mercer, McDowell or Wyoming 
counties.

The coordinator credited Bluefield Police Chief C.N. Blizzard with being 
one of the main driving forces behind the current task force. Centeno said 
it was Blizzard who helped design the structure of the Southern Regional 
Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, along with the U.S. Department of 
Justice and the U.S. attorney representing the southern West Virginia district.

With the four initial parent agencies and federal authorities on board, 
Centeno said the sheriff's departments from Mercer, McDowell and Wyoming 
counties joined the effort, providing more officers and expertise in the 
areas covered by the task force.

Federal funding keeps the task force in operation, paying for salaries of 
the six officers. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas programs, which 
enhance and coordinate drug control efforts among local, state and federal 
law enforcement agencies, provide grants that fund overtime, equipment and 
more.

The federal money makes sure local law enforcement agencies get the benefit 
of well-trained officers and top-notch equipment without footing the bill.

For instance, he said, "The city of Bluefield gains the support of the 
state police and four other police officers that are not on the payroll and 
are committed to stopping drug-related crimes."

"Citizens don't have to worry about purchasing equipment," Centeno said, 
due to the grants and forfeiture-sharing policies, which put the money and 
items seized during investigations back to work in the communities.

"Our hard work pays," Centeno said. "And, it's being recognized on a 
national level."

The task force's hard work is showing in the numbers of cases it carries as 
well.

Centeno reported that the six officers had opened a combined 312 
investigations to date in 2005, as of Wednesday. That number was up from a 
total of 220 in 2004.

So far, he said the task force is investigating five multi-state 
drug-trading organizations (DTOs), 23 local DTOs and one money laundering 
operation.

In the first eight months of 2005, drug task force officers have seized 19 
pounds of marijuana and 89 plants in four outdoor grows; 91.5 grams of 
cocaine and 116 grams of crack, with a combined estimated street value of 
approximately $21,000; 2 grams of heroine; approximately 1,500 units of 
prescription pills; and two units of exstacy, Centeno said.

In addition, investigators have dismantled four methamphetamine labs in the 
three counties and purchased approximately 700 prescription pills in 
undercover investigations.

Although the numbers are up, Centeno said the increases don't mean there 
are really more drugs in the area.

"It doesn't mean the drug crime has increased. It just means the drug task 
force has taken a more proactive approach to getting more drugs off the 
streets," he said.

While long-term investigations have often consumed much of the officers' 
attention, Centeno said this year's goals have emphasized efforts to wipe 
out street-corner dealers and smaller neighborhood operations.

He said he knew some citizens believed law enforcement officers either 
don't understand or care about the severity of area drug activity, but 
Centeno reminded those people that investigations are often ongoing behind 
the obvious activity.

"People cannot see us. Our success lies in them not recognizing us as 
police officers," he said.

In addition to drug cases, the task force also investigates particularly 
violent crimes, such as homicides, and other illegal activity that often 
accompanies drug use. Specifically, Centeno said the task force officer 
from Princeton has recently concentrated on drug use and prostitution in 
the area.

While the task force constantly targets the supply of drugs into the 
region, Centeno said stopping the spread of the illegal substances depended 
on stemming the demand. See next week's Princeton Times for more on that 
aspect of the investigations, the drug task force and the ways it works 
inside local communities.

In the meantime, to report suspected drug-related activity in your 
neighborhood, contact the task force tip line at 327-DRUGS.
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman