HIGH DRUG AREAS NAMED

Benton, Jefferson, Pulaski, and Washington have all been named high
intensity drug trafficking counties within the state.

John P. Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP),
along with U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and
Representatives Vic Snyder (AR-02), John Boozman (AR-03) and Mike
Ross (AR-04) announced the counties as part of ONDCP's High Intensity
Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.

That designation will bring additional federal resources to help
coordinate federal, state and local law enforcement activities
against drug trafficking throughout the Gulf Coast HIDTA, including
the newly designated Benton, Jefferson, Pulaski, and Washington Counties.

"While our local and state law enforcement have done an exemplary job
keeping our families and communities safe, the fact is that
Arkansas's geographic location makes it a battleground in our
nation's fight against illegal drugs," Lincoln said. "We have been
working for a long time for this HIDTA designation, and I'm pleased
that our state will receive the critical federal resources,
technology and manpower needed to fight the drug problem in Arkansas
more effectively."

Law enforcement officials in Benton, Jefferson, Pulaski, and
Washington Counties will use the new Federal resources to coordinate
investigations and interdiction efforts against Mexican
methamphetamine trafficking in Arkansas, as well as the abundance of
clandestine methamphetamine laboratories.

"I'm pleased our persistence to receive this designation has paid
off," Pryor said. "As a result, these counties will receive
much-needed fire-power to combat drug activities, including more
manpower, coordination and federal dollars to keep our communities safe."

The HIDTA program designates regions which exhibit serious drug
trafficking problems that harmfully impact other areas of the
country. The HIDTA program provides additional Federal resources to
those areas to help eliminate or reduce drug trafficking and its
deadly consequences.

"This additional funding is an invaluable resource for Central
Arkansas law enforcement agencies," Snyder said. "This support will
improve the important and sometimes dangerous coordinated efforts of
those who dedicate their lives to eradicating drug trafficking in our state."

Law enforcement organizations within HIDTAs assess drug trafficking
problems and design specific initiatives to reduce or eliminate the
production, manufacture, transportation, distribution and chronic use
of illegal drugs and money laundering.

"I am proud to announce these critical federal funds to assist our
local law enforcement agencies in cracking down on drug trafficking
within Arkansas," Ross said. "Our local law enforcement officers are
critical in combating illegal drugs and are often strapped of the
resources they need to fight interstate drug trafficking. I will
continue working to ensure that they have the best tools and
resources available to keep our neighborhoods and our communities safe."

There are 28 regions throughout the country designated as HIDTAs.
HIDTA counties compromise approximately 14 percent of U.S counties
and are present in 45 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
and the District of Columbia.

"I want to thank Director John Walters for this decision," Boozman
said. "Today's announcement is the result of many years of hard work
by our local and state officials, and the Arkansas delegation in
Washington. This designation will give our law enforcement additional
tools through intelligence sharing, multi-agency cooperation, and
tangible resources to fight this epidemic in our region. I am proud
of their efforts to face this problem and I will continue to do all I
can to support their work."

ONDCP announced the designation of a total of 26 new HIDTA counties,
located in Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

The newly designated HIDTA counties have demonstrated that their
specific location is a significant center of illegal drug production,
manufacturing, importation, or distribution; that law enforcement
agencies have committed resources to respond to the drug trafficking
problem; that drug-related activities in the area are having a
significant harmful impact in the area and other locations; and that
a significant increase in allocation of Federal resources is
necessary to respond adequately to drug-related activities in the
area. As participants in the HIDTA program, the counties will be
eligible to receive additional financial resources as well as
equipment and technology.

"The designation of Benton, Jefferson, Pulaski, and Washington
Counties into the Gulf Coast HIDTA will support the important work
already being done at the State and local levels in Arkansas,"
Walters said. "Working in collaboration with law enforcement
professionals on the frontlines of our streets, the HIDTA program
enhances operational capabilities, and its expansion will help
disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations in Arkansas and
across the Nation."

To learn more about the HIDTA program visit www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov.