POLICE PUT 'BITE' ON DRUG SUSPECTS IN STATEWIDE RAIDS

Some 35 alleged drug manufacturers, dealers and users have been arrested in
Rapides Parish during the past 90 days as part of a statewide undercover
drug probe, investigators said Wednesday.

The Rapides Metro Narcotics team, along with other agencies within the
state, made 875 drug arrests in Operation Frost Bite.

"We consider this an important day in Louisiana," said Allen Parish Sheriff
Harold "Hal" Turner, Louisiana Sheriffs Association president. He spoke at
a press conference in Baton Rouge.

Operation Frost Bite was a six-month drug investigation that generated
1,000 arrest warrants. Most of the arrests were made Tuesday and Wednesday
in a coordinated sweep.

The operation - initiated by the Louisiana Sheriffs Association's Violent
Crime and Narcotics Strike Force - continues, and more arrests are expected.

On Wednesday, Capt. Mike Villard of Rapides Metro Narcotics said the
arrests in Rapides were on a variety of drug charges, including possession,
possession with intent to distribute, manufacturing and obtaining drugs by
fraud.

In Allen Parish, five suspects were arrested Wednesday in early morning raids.

Agents with the Allen Narcotics Task Force ran several undercover
operations, which led to the arrests.

The task force includes members of the Oakdale Police Department and the
Allen Sheriff's Office. It was formed in July 2001 and is under the command
of Lt. Scotty LaBorde.

Arrested in Oakdale were Travis Johnson, 21, of 614 Butler St.; Wilford
Melbert, 18, of 512 Benson St.; Ed Coleman, 51, of 1206 Prater St; Bobby
Waller, 48, of 707 Bernice St.; and Weldon Thibodeaux, 26, of 610 North
Seventh St.

All were charged with distribution of cocaine. Thibodeaux also was booked
for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Elsewhere, agents of the Vernon Parish Narcotics Task Force arrested 26
drug suspects Tuesday.

About $29,000 in cash was seized along with a 1990 Nissan Stanza and
several pagers and cell phones. More arrests are expected.

Dale Broussard, director of the sheriffs association strike force, said the
investigation led to the shutdown of five makeshift methamphetamine labs in
Bienville, Lafayette, St. Landry and Tangipahoa parishes.

Task force sources were unable to provide an estimate of the overall
operation's cost, the number of officers involved or the amount of drugs
and weapons seized.

Highlighting the danger associated with the investigation, drug agents
displayed in Baton Rouge a table laden with weapons.

St. James Parish Sheriff Willy Martin said the weapons - a semi-automatic
AK-47 assault rifle equipped with a 100-round drum, a pistol, a shotgun and
a smaller-caliber rifle - were seized in a raid in Vacherie where shots
were fired.

Capt. Villard said residents of Rapides Parish should not think the
operation was in any way a "cure" to the drug problem.

"Residents should not be naive and think that Rapides Parish is immune to
drug activity," he said.