Pubdate: Sun, 14 Jan 2007 Source: Aberdeen American News (SD) Copyright: 2007 Aberdeen American News Contact: http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1484 Author: Scott Waltman Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) WAR ON DRUGS HITS HOME Despite More Busts, Work Increasing For Brown County Drug Task Force Two parcels confiscated from an Aberdeen residence last summer contained more methamphetamine than Brian Locke of the Brown County Sheriff's Department has seen since the county's Drug Task Force was formed nearly six years ago. On June 8, law enforcers confiscated more than two and a half pounds of meth from an Aberdeen home, one of the biggest drug busts in the city's history. The amount of meth confiscated in most busts is measured in grams, said Mark McNeary, Brown County state's attorney. There are 28 grams in an ounce and a bust yielding more than an ounce is significant, McNeary said. Two pounds isn't just a big amount for Aberdeen, it's a big amount period, he said. Although making year-to-year comparisons is difficult, the two parcels easily made 2006 the task force's most productive year. The task force was created in 2001 and is a collaboration between the Brown County Sheriff's Department, Aberdeen Police Department, state Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, state's attorney's office, Court Services and parole agents. Generally, the group meets once a week to share information about area drug activity. Sheriff Mark Milbrandt said there was enough drug activity when the task force was created to merit the task force. So his department, the Aberdeen Police Department and DCI each dedicated an officer to only drug work. Unfortunately, the need for the task force still exists, McNeary said. He said his office's workload has increased because of the task force. As the result of the June meth bust, three people have been indicted on federal charges. The investigation is still ongoing. Law enforcers believe James Johnson, one of the people arrested, was a major player in the Aberdeen drug world. He pleaded innocent to 10 felony drug charges in Brown County Circuit Court before his case was transferred to federal court. Milbrandt said the case was transferred because the alleged drug trafficking involves other states. And, he said, sentencing guidelines are more severe at the federal level. Demand high: Removing one alleged drug dealer is a start, said Tanner Jondahl of the Aberdeen Police Department and also a member of the task force, but other dealers will pick up much of Johnson's alleged business. He said most people don't realize how severe the drug problem is in the Aberdeen area. "Not to frighten people, but I don't think the public can grasp the quantity of drugs that come into Aberdeen," Jondahl said. Police still regularly seize ounce quantities of meth and cocaine, Locke said. But, he added, those drugs don't appear to be prevalent in local schools. The two-and-a-half pounds of methamphetamine confiscated had an estimated street value of $180,000. Such big deliveries, McNeary said, shows there is considerable local drug use. "You've got to be realistic," McNeary said. "There was demand. We didn't just happen to intercept one package (Johnson was allegedly) hoping to sell." The task force has played a role in other meaningful drug busts, too: In December, four people were arrested after a bust of a meth lab in a Doland-area home. A couple of months earlier, four-and-a-half ounces of cocaine and 15 pounds of marijuana being transported from Watertown to Aberdeen were seized. Five people were charged in federal court after a meth lab bust in Fort Ransom, N.D., in late 2005. In that case, task force members say, people involved in making meth frequently stopped in Aberdeen to buy pseudoephedrine and other items used to manufacture meth. "I think what we're seeing now is the reward for work that has been done for the prior two or three years leading up to this point," McNeary said. Sharing information: The investigation that led to Johnson's arrest took 18 months, he said. Locke said having officers dedicated to working drug cases full time is key. The communication is invaluable, he said. What seems like a minor detail can make a big difference in a case. Knowing about an incident in which drugs were found in a vehicle in Wyoming could have knocked months off the Johnson investigation, Locke said. "You just can't keep (information) in house, especially in the distribution world because Aberdeen drugs are not coming from Aberdeen," he said. Locke and DCI agent Laura Zylstra work in offices in the basement of the sheriff's department. Jondahl, whose office is at the police department, often stops by. The city and county share information on arrests, accomplices, criminal records and more. Information garnered from pawn slips, utility bills, pistol permits, city and county records and other sources is also used in drug cases, Locke said. Sometimes, Jondahl said, concerned family members call with tips about suspected drug use. And sometimes people involved in drug cases provide information in hopes of getting a more lenient sentence. Locke said the public also helps. When they see 20 vehicles stopping by the same residence in a short amount of time, each staying for only a few minutes, they know something is up and call law enforcement. That's beneficial in drug cases, he said. Pharmacies assist too, Jondahl said. Workers note when people buy large amounts of pseudoephedrine and are in contact with each other and law enforcement agencies. Stores keep logs of who buys pseudoephedrine. Those have helped with recent meth busts, Milbrandt said. Profit and progress: Locke said greed is the reason the drug business is so appealing. Selling drugs is profitable. Task force members said the current street value for a gram of crystal meth is $200. Powder meth is about $120 a gram. Dealers can buy an ounce of cocaine for $800 and sell it locally for $100 a gram, they said. That's a profit of $2,000 per ounce. Even with last year's two-and-a-half pound bust, there's still plenty of work to be done, Locke said. He and McNeary agree that the potential for another large drug bust - maybe even another two-and-a-half pound meth bust - exists even though progress has been made. Two pounds is "huge to us, but in the drug world, that's peanuts," Locke said. Unfortunately, McNeary said, the Drug Task Force won't disband anytime soon. "In the best of all worlds," he said, "they would be able to work themselves out of business, but I don't think that's going to happen." - --- MAP posted-by: Derek