DOLE WANTS DRUG CRACKDOWN

Points To State As Trafficking Hot Spot

The number of Drug Enforcement
Administration arrests doubled in North Carolina from 2003 to 2005,
and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., wants something done about it.

Dole is calling for the establishment of High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area offices and increased federal funds to combat the
escalation of drug trafficking in the state.

HIDTA classification would require proof that North Carolina is a
national hot spot for drug trafficking.

Dole's request came during the week of a record-breaking Fayetteville
drug bust in which policemen seized one ton of marijuana, 26 kilograms
of cocaine and more than $3 million in cash.

"Anything that could alleviate drugs coming into the state of North
Carolina would be good for the citizens," said Capt. Bobby Chapman of
the Fayetteville Police Department who worked on the bust.

He said the HIDTA office in Texas, the state where the seized drugs
originated, assisted in the one-year investigation that culminated in
the bust.

HIDTA officials provided assistance on all fronts from the streets to
the courtrooms, conducting surveillance and obtaining warrants in Texas.

Dole's plan could bring that type of local, state and federal
cooperation to North Carolina, though her office doesn't have a
location in mind.

Her proposal would convert existing N.C. offices operated by the DEA
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation into HIDTA offices. They would
fall under the jurisdiction of the Atlanta office and become eligible
for additional federal funds.

David Keller, deputy director of the Appalachia HIDTA in Kentucky,
said Dole will have to work hard to cultivate support in the midst of
congressional efforts to cut back the program's funding.

"Appalachia became a HIDTA in 1998, $6.8 million, with funding spread
throughout," Keller said.

"We've been flat-line funded since 1998, with no increases in funding
and no ability to take on additional counties or initiatives."

Keller said the initiatives that HIDTA wants to pursue also could help
in the war on terrorism.

"Our interstate highway system is being used more today then ever to
transport drugs and money, especially since 9-11," he said.

"With increased interdiction efforts we are more likely to find a
dirty bomb."

Dole stated in a press release that HIDTA classification will become
increasingly important in combatting the state's worsening drug problem.

"All indications are that North Carolina's rapidly growing population
will only exacerbate these problems, unless steps are taken to
increase enforcement efforts."