Pubdate: Fri, 30 Jun 2006
Source: Charleston Daily Mail (WV)
Copyright: 2006 Charleston Daily Mail
Contact:  http://www.dailymail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/76
Author: Kris Wise, Daily Mail Capitol reporter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

STATE DRUG WAR NETS BIG HAUL

State and local police have seized almost $6 million in illegal drugs 
over the past 18 months as part of a crackdown on the drug trade in 
West Virginia.

Gov. Joe Manchin today was to unveil evidence gathered during two of 
the most recent drug raids: 6.5-pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 
five kilograms of cocaine, all seized by police during raids in the 
Charleston area.

Those drugs alone have a street value of more than $750,000.

When Manchin took office in 2005, he asked state and local police 
departments to refocus their efforts on eradicating the drug trade, 
which in recent years has become a hotbed of activity by dealers 
coming in from out of state.

Since then, the State Police have spearheaded dozens of raids and 
made as many arrests, targeting illegal drug operations all over the state.

Drug enforcement officials working undercover have made more than 500 
drug buys in the past six months, State Police Col. Dave Lemmon said 
this morning. That's as many as were made during the entire year in 2004.

"The governor gave us a mandate, and we've accepted it and we've 
really been working hard," Lemmon said. "The amount of meth and coke 
we've taken in recently, just around here, that's very uncommon. But 
it's going to be ongoing, and we're going to be stepping up the pace 
even more."

Manchin pledged during his State of the State address in January to 
give the State Police $1 million this year to continue their efforts. 
The money, which becomes available July 1, will allow police to work 
more undercover operations, set up additional drug buys and get more 
drug-related training.

Many of the drug raids over the past year have been centered in 
Charleston and Huntington, well known as the base for many of West 
Virginia's illegal drug operations.

"Often when discussing economic development we tout our location 
advantages, (being) within 500 miles of two-thirds of the nation's 
population," Manchin said today. "This is also what makes our state 
attractive to the illegal drug trade."

Drug enforcement officials have said they're trying to clamp down on 
criminals based in the Detroit area, which has become a major supply 
point for drug operations in Charleston and Huntington.

But raids and undercover operations also have recently increased in 
Logan, Man, Princeton and Beckley.

"In the Northern Panhandle, we're seeing more and more heroin," 
Lemmon said. "It's coming down from Pennsylvania, from the Pittsburgh 
area, and we're seeing more and more of it all the time."

During a press conference early this morning at the State Police 
headquarters in South Charleston, Manchin also was to display an 
assortment of weapons that had been seized during recent drug raids.

"As long as the money is out there to fuel the drug trade, there will 
be weapons and there likely will be violence," Manchin said. "Too 
many times in the past several months, we've turned on the news only 
to hear about the senseless death of one of our own as a result of 
drug-related violence. It's going to stop."

Lemmon said the new $1 million allocation of state funds will allow 
the State Police to further collaborate with city and county police 
departments and groups like the Metro Drug Unit.

These groups, working with the State Police, busted 213 
methamphetamine labs last year. That was up from 17 labs that were 
raided in 2001.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman