DRUGS ACROSS THE BAY

PONDER THIS troubling probability: that the majority of illegal drugs
sold on the East Coast travel through Mobile and Baldwin County via
Interstate 10, often on commercial tractor-trailer rigs, headed to
drug distribution operations in Atlanta.

If that's true -- and illegal-drug experts say it is -- then there's
too much drug traffic across Mobile Bay for any one law enforcement
agency to make a dent in it.

Commercial vehicles haul hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and
methamphetamine, tons of marijuana and millions of dollars a year
along America's interstates, according to Tom Wade, Mobile's resident
Drug Enforcement Administration agent. A lot of it travels through
Mobile and Baldwin counties on I-10.

The numbers are daunting. There are about 10.6 million commercial
drivers licenses in the United States, but only about 6,000 state
troopers, whose main responsibility is vehicle safety issues ?
ticketing speeders and handling accidents.

Federal agents and county and city law enforcement, though, can
provide valuable manpower to focus on drug enforcement. That's why a
newly created joint operation involving the sheriffs of Mobile and
Baldwin counties and the DEA makes sense. It will be even better if
Mobile and Daphne police join the effort.

Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran's involvement in the cooperative
drug-interdiction project is especially noteworthy. Since his
election last year, Sheriff Cochran has moved the department in
positive directions, including shifting deputies to high-crime areas
of the county, convincing the County Commission to add more deputies,
and showing a refreshing willingness to work with other law
enforcement agencies.

As for the drug-interdiction program, the cooperation will allow more
officer teams to cruise I-10. The deputies will be deputized as
federal agents, so they can cross county and state lines during
investigations, enhancing their abilities to track, find and stop
drug traffickers.

In addition, deputies recently attended training sessions to learn
about commercial trucking and the red flags that can tip off officers
that a truck may be carrying drugs.

Stemming the flood of illicit drugs traveling through Mobile and
Baldwin counties will require an effective presence by law
enforcement. Cooperation among agencies and continued training can
provide the kind of response that can take a bite out of the illegal
drug traffic on I-10.