Pubdate: Mon, 05 Dec 2005
Source: Sampson Independent, The (NC)
Copyright: 2005, The Sampson Independent
Contact:  http://www.clintonnc.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1704
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

UPHOLDING A PLEDGE TO FIGHT THE WAR ON DRUGS

When Jimmy Thornton took office three years ago, one of the things he 
pledged to the people of Sampson County was an all-out effort to 
reduce the drug traffic in Sampson County.

Clearly, Thornton and his team of officers have worked diligently to 
uphold that pledge. Countless raids have been conducted, hundreds of 
thousands of dollars of cocaine, marijuana and meth has been taken 
off the streets and thousands more dollars have been seized along 
with weapons and an assortment of drug paraphernalia.

What's more, dozens of suspected drug dealers have been taken off the 
streets, if only for a short while, forcing them to either halt their 
operations or change their mode of moving illegal substances for the 
short haul if not the long one.

The significance of what Thornton and his officers are doing should 
not escape anyone. When, as it was early Friday morning, over 
$200,000 worth of marijuana is taken off the streets, it means that 
is less of the illegal substance that is available for your son or 
daughter, your husband or wife, your friend or neighbor to consume or sell.

No one argues that for every drug dealer you take off the street, two 
more are in line to take his or her place. And, no one argues that as 
long as their is a demand for an illegal substance, someone will be 
there to fill the order, it is obvious that we're making a dent.

Just as obviously, and particularly disturbing, is how much 
marijuana, meth, crack and cocaine there is being circulated through 
our county and distributed.

Having law enforcement officers who diligently work to aggravate the 
trade and slowing it down, does make a huge difference.

The work they do is extremely dangerous, painstakingly slow and often 
fails to uncover all that investigators and drug officers would like to dig up.

But what they do uncover has made a dent.

No we've won the war on drugs in Sampson County. Far from it. But, 
we're showing drug dealers and users that we are looking under every 
rock to turn up illegal activity. And, what's more, when we find 
something under those rocks, we aren't turning away; we're plunging 
head-on, making arrests, seizing cash, weapons and drugs and 
upsetting a trade that has, unfortunately, become a tremendous 
business in our county.

Thornton's pledge was made because he knew, before even becoming 
sheriff, that we had a serious drug problem in Sampson County, one 
that couldn't be ignored.

He's not ignored it. He's taken his pledge seriously, as have all of 
his officers, and they are doing something about it.

Like our neighbors in Duplin County, who have similar problems and a 
sheriff with the same kind of dedication to ridding his county of 
illegal drug activity, we are making a dent.

Every time we hack away at the problem, we can see a difference. 
Slight though it may be, it's a difference all the same, and it's a 
positive one.

We can't ask for more than that ... other than, perhaps, that once 
law enforcement do the job of arresting suspected drug dealers that 
our justice system mete out a proper punishment.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman