U.S. LAUDS VALLEY METH FIGHTERS

Program that covers nine counties has received three awards.

WASHINGTON -- The Central Valley's federally funded meth fighters have won
national kudos for their efforts.

The Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program has secured
three awards from national officials for a nine-county campaign that began
only a year ago. That's more than any other similar program nationwide.

"We're excited about it, because we're one of the least-funded and newest
HIDTAs," said Bill Ruzzamenti, the director of the Central Valley program
in Fresno.

In particular, the awards honor two task forces in Modesto and Fresno and
an intelligence analyst in Fresno for their efforts. Nearly two dozen of
the Central Valley agents and officers will be trekking east to Washington
next week for a three-day conference, at which Drug Enforcement
Administration Administrator Asa Hutchinson will be presenting the
nonmonetary awards.

With $2.5 million in annual federal funding, the Central Valley HIDTA
coordinates an anti-methamphetamine campaign between Kern and Sacramento
counties. Though it has six employees, including Ruzzamenti, most of the
actual drug-busting is done by various task forces of state, federal and
local agents.

It is one of 28 HIDTAs nationwide, each designed to target regional drug
problems and funnel federal resources.

"These guys are the best of the best even to be considered, which is pretty
neat," Ruzzamenti said.

The Central Valley program's three awards also amount to a relatively big
slice of the 16 awards being given this year, in the third year of the
HIDTA awards program.

"These awards recognize the tireless efforts of the men and women of this
HIDTA," Edward Jurith, acting director of the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy, said in a statement issued Friday. "The
Central Valley region and the entire country are well-served by the
commitment of these professionals."

The Office of National Drug Control Policy is commonly called the drug
czar's office. Since retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey left office in
January, it has not had a permanent director confirmed by the Senate.

In some cases, the awards honor individual effort. Greg McAllister, for
one, is an intelligence analyst for the Central Valley group and, in his
spare time, he's a volunteer chaplain for the Fresno Police Department. He
puts out a quarterly report on the program's activities and analyzes
developing problems. Most recently, that has included a rise in the use of
pseudoephedrine from Canada.

This is a precursor chemical, used in the production of methamphetamine.
With its remote rural reach and immigrant population that gets tapped by
Mexican organized crime groups, the Central Valley is considered the
nation's leading producer of the dangerous and illicit stimulant.

A task force from Modesto is being honored for outstanding interdiction
efforts. The Stanislaus-San Joaquin-Merced Methamphetamine Task Force, with
nine officers from different agencies, cracked a ring last year that was
hauling serious drugs into the San Joaquin Valley.

Starting in Modesto, the investigators ended up in Southern California,
where agents seized 22 pounds of black-tar heroin in a car's fuel tank, 20
more pounds of heroin in a house and 57 pounds of cocaine. The same
investigation continued to include further seizures in Hayward.

Another HIDTA task force from Fresno was selected as the best example of a
cooperative effort. The 16 agents and officers in the Fresno
Methamphetamine Task Force come from eight different agencies and are
credited with 180 arrests.

"Information obtained from confidential informants and suspects indicates
that Mexican [gangs] are becoming leery of operating in Fresno because they
believe it is too 'hot' right now," the award nomination for the Fresno
task force said.