Pubdate: Sun, 29 Jul 2007
Source: Grand Island Independent (NE)
Copyright: 2007 Grand Island Independent
Contact:  http://www.theindependent.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1023
Author: Sarah Schulz
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

SMITH INTRODUCES METH KINGPIN ELIMINATION ACT

When It Comes To The War On Drugs, There's Always Room For More Help 
And More Money.

In an attempt to help with that fight, U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, 
R-Neb., unveiled the Methamphetamine Kingpin Elimination Act this 
past week. The bill would increase penalties for drug kingpin 
offenses and would authorize an additional $20 million for 
multi-jurisdictional methamphetamine task forces.

Smith is a member of the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control 
Methamphetamine.

Charles Isom, a spokesman for Smith, said the extra money would be 
dispersed at the national level to organizations such as the FBI, the 
Drug Enforcement Administration and the Border Patrol. It could then 
be filtered down to local task forces to help make things more 
efficient and aid in cooperation, he said.

Grand Island police Sgt. Ellis Collins, a supervisor for the Tri-City 
Drug Task Force, said extra funding would be welcome in Central 
Nebraska. The task force is currently funded by its agency members 
the police departments from Grand Island, Kearney and Hastings; the 
sheriff's departments from Hall, Buffalo and Adams counties; the 
Nebraska State Patrol; the FBI; and the U.S. attorney's office.

The task force also receives financial backing from the High 
Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and the Compact for 
Apprehension of Narcotics Dealers and Offenders (CANDO), Collins said.

The agencies that fund the local task force have had to tighten purse 
strings when it comes to budgets over the last several years and any 
extra funding would be put to good use, he said. Locally, there is a 
need for more human resources, and new equipment is always needed to 
keep up with changing technology, he said.

"The more people we can put on the streets, the more bad guys we can 
catch and throw in jail," Collins said.

The number of meth labs in the U.S. has declined since Congress 
enacted the Combat Meth Epidemic Act last year. The legislation 
restricted the sale of pseudoephedrine, which is a key ingredient in 
the manufacture of meth. Still, it is estimated as much as 80 percent 
of the meth in the U.S. comes from Mexico. Unlike the small U.S. 
labs, Mexican drug cartels are creating "super labs," which produce 
huge quantities of meth to be smuggled north to the United States, 
according to a press release from Smith's office.

Collins said a large percent of the meth in the Grand Island area 
comes from Mexico, making the city a supply hub for drug dealers in 
the surrounding communities and states. The mission of the task force 
is to identify, investigate and prepare prosecutable cases against 
major drug trafficking organizations that affect Central Nebraska.

"It is past time to stop the flood of meth coming across our border 
and to crack down on the thugs making millions peddling this 
dangerous drug," Smith said. "Meth devastates not only those who 
abuse the drug, but their families and their communities as well. 
 From rural districts like mine to urban areas, we must do all we can 
to end the scourge of meth in this country."

The introduction of the bill comes after the recent arrest of meth 
trafficker Zhenli Ye Gon. In March, police raided his Mexico City 
mansion, where they found more than $207 million in cash, most of 
which was stashed behind false walls and in closets. Ye Gon is 
accused of supplying Mexican drug cartels with massive quantities of 
restricted chemicals to make meth, according to the release from 
Smith's office.
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