METH, COCAINE TOPS LIST OF AREA DRUG USE

For decades, cocaine reigned in northeastern Louisiana as the most
hazardous drug.

Some of its dominance as the choice of drug in Ouachita Parish has
waned in recent years - only slightly though, according one of the top
narcotics enforcement agents.

Law enforcement continues to see an increase in methamphetamine use,
but that doesn't mean that cocaine use has dropped.

"I wouldn't say cocaine is no longer king," said Capt. Hank Smith,
head of Metro Narcotics Unit, which investigates drug distribution in
the parish. "It is a mix - about 40 percent use cocaine and 40 percent
use methamphetamine. Everything else accounts for the other 20 percent."

Nevertheless, the Drug Enforcement Agency identifies the production,
trafficking and illegal abuse of methamphetamine as the
fastest-growing drug problem in Louisiana.

"Because of the rural nature of northern Louisiana and the abundance
of horses and livestock, iodine crystals, commonly used in the
handling of farm animals and as precursor chemical used in the process
of methamphetamine manufacturing, are widely available and
accessible," a DEA assessment states.

Smith said, "The ingredients are so readily available. We are seeing
more labs than ever before in Ouachita Parish. In 2003, we shut down
42 meth labs. The norm was about 20 in the years before that."

Commanders of area law enforcement units that combat street-level drug
transactions report that the most popular illegal drug on the streets
varies with each jurisdiction.

Marijuana use remains very high in West Monroe.

"A lot of people are still smoking marijuana. We make several
marijuana arrests every night. There is not a lot of crack that we
have seen," said Sgt. James Keys with West Monroe Street Crimes Unit.

He said a Metro investigation several years back cleared most crack
cocaine operations inside the city, and no major dealers have
re-established their trade.

Crack use and sales continue, but not on a large scale. He said
officers might make a cocaine-related arrest once a week.

Earlier this week, an officer arrested one suspect with about 30 rocks
of crack cocaine, one of the largest quantities seen in recent months.
Suspects typically are caught with two to three crack rocks, Keys said.

It is a very different story in Monroe where crack remains just as
prevalent as marijuana throughout the city.

"It is just about neck and neck," Sgt. Paul Harper with Monroe's
Special Neighborhood Action Program team said. "It all seems to run
hand in hand."

He also noted that PCP is more present of late, too.

Both men are still concerned with the increase in meth use.

"The influx has grown," Keys said. "What worries us most is that the
market is growing to a younger age than it has been."

State agencies link meth distribution and abuse with violent crime,
particularly domestic violence, child abuse, aggravated assault and
murder.

The violence associated with meth results from its use alone as
opposed to violence with the cocaine trade that mostly stems from
protection of product or market, Smith said

"(Meth users) are more dangerous because they are more paranoid of
everyone. They constantly believe there is an officer around the next
corner ready to arrest them. That is where the problem is," he said.

Keys and Harper say a majority of all crimes, especially property, can
be linked to some form of drug use.

"About 75 to 80 percent of crime related to theft or robbery goes back
to drugs," Keys said.

Addicts use money from the sale of stolen property to buy more drugs.

A federal grant allows deputies with the sheriff's Special Criminal
Apprehension Team to target illegal drugs along Interstate 20 in
addition to pursuing street-level dealers. Following the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, drug traffickers have not significantly
altered their methods, the DEA suggests. However, traffickers are
increasingly transporting drugs over highways to avoid increased
security of airports.

A portion of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant pays to have
two deputies patrol I-20 in western Ouachita Parish every day.

"Basically, we are working a traffic detail. We are looking for
illegal weapons, wanted criminals and illegal narcotics," OPSO Lt.
James Purvis said.

In the last couple of months, SCAT members have confiscated hundreds
of pounds of marijuana, recovered almost 10 illegal weapons and
arrested three or four wanted people, Purvis said.

He credits the success with the high volume of traffic stops resulting
from having more deputies enforcing traffic laws every day. A deputy
might search one vehicle out of 10 stops made in a day and often goes
several days without finding illegal contraband.

"During a traffic stop, there is something that alerts the deputy that
something is not right. There are various things we look for. It could
be a driver's background, something they said, their behavior or maybe
even an odor," Purvis said.