ELIZABETHTOWN - Many folks may know Doug McCullough as a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, but some may not realize that his job as a former federal prosecutor helped to disrupt a major drug smuggling ring that operated in eastern North Carolina in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The ring included members of the operation making smuggling runs into Bladen County by air. Bladen County Chief Deputy Phillip Little was one of the investigators involved in the case and reminisced about the case with McCullough on a recent Friday afternoon. [continues 529 words]
Many Bladen County students brought home red ribbons this week for the annual drug awareness campaign, but most have never heard of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. "We want people to be aware of the dangers of drug use," said Chief Deputy Phillip Little of he Bladen County Sheriff's Department, "and we want them to know the background of Red Ribbon Week." Camarena was an undercover agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration who died in the line of duty in 1985. Red Ribbon Week was founded in 1988 "to reduce the demand for illegal drugs and the abuse of legal drugs," Little said. [continues 286 words]
