Source: Dallas Morning News (TX) Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com Pubdate: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 Authors: David LaGesse and Bill Lodge, The Dallas Morning News N. TEXAS NAMED HIGH-INTENSITY DRUG ZONE Area eligible for more enforcement money North Texas has received its long-awaited designation as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and stands to reap as much as $5 million in additional anti-drug money next year, federal officials said Thursday. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey named Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties as part of the new 13-county North Texas zone, making the area eligible for money recently approved by Congress. U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins and Special Agent Julio Mercado, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Dallas office, requested the designation more than a year ago. Lobbying intensified in the last year with the wave of heroin-related deaths in the Dallas area. "I'm ecstatic that it finally came through," Mr. Coggins said. Agent Mercado predicted the infusion of cash and equipment will enable about 50 local, state and federal agencies to wage a more efficient war against drug rings in the area, which has a population of more than 4 million. "We've identified 86 different drug organizations in North Texas and Oklahoma," he said. "The majority are in Texas. We'll know who the enemy is." High-intensity spending, already used in Houston and El Paso and proposed for East Texas, helps encourage cooperation among local and federal police agencies. "The illegal use of narcotics and the trafficking of narcotics are the root of much of the violent crime in North Texas," said Mr. McCaffrey, White House drug policy director. Agent Mercado said he has worked in the San Juan, Puerto Rico, high-intensity area, which yielded almost immediate results. "In the first year of operation, we took out three major drug organizations," he said, adding that one of the groups was responsible for at least 40 deaths. "We'll be able to do that here, now." More than 100 investigators from member agencies will be housed in one building, which will contain an intelligence center that should allow investigators to track drug distributors more quickly, Agent Mercado said. "Everybody can get a clearer picture of what is going on in North Texas," he said. "It's long overdue. There is a problem in Dallas that must be addressed." Agent Mercado and Mr. Coggins said the Dallas area has become a major collection point for heroin, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamines and other illegal drugs shipped to other cities nationwide. They emphasize that 40 percent of those drugs remain in the Dallas area, many of them sold to teenagers. The heroin-overdose deaths of 18 young people with Plano ties since 1994 have made national news. In July, a 50-page federal indictment for dealing heroin and cocaine in Plano was issued against 29 people, 16 of them students in Plano schools. Dallas police officials, who have supported the high-intensity designation as a tool for coordinating anti-drug efforts, said Thursday they were pleased with the new designation. Police Chief Ben Click supports information-sharing between law enforcement agencies, calling the job of battling transnational drug networks too diffuse for a single department. "Chief Click believes it will be very beneficial in our fight against drug trafficking in Dallas," said Sgt. Jim Chandler, a department spokesman. The North Texas area includes Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Henderson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Lubbock, Parker, Rockwall and Tarrant counties. Congress voted $5 million in spending for the North and East Texas areas in the fiscal year that begins next month, although the money needs final congressional and White House budget approval. East Texas isn't expected to receive final approval for several months, leaving most of next year's money for North Texas, officials said. The North Texas zone can begin operating soon with a $250,000 stake from the drug czar's office, officials said. Houston was one of the first zones approved for the high-intensity program. The money has helped police there discourage trafficking, said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. "Houston has made great strides, and the dealers have started to come to Dallas," she said. Administration officials credit Ms. Hutchison with leading the congressional fight for funding, aided by Dallas-area House members. "We've had tremendous support from our politicians in Washington on both sides of the aisle," Mr. Coggins said. North Texas becomes the 21st drug-trafficking zone named under the federal program, which began in 1990. Selecting the high-intensity zones has become very political, said Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas. "But we were able to get the drug czar to say that Dallas was the most deserving, non-HIDTA area," he said. Staff writer Dave Michaels in Dallas contributed to this report. - --- Checked-by: Don Beck