BUSTING THE DRUG RUNNERS IN EVER INCREASING NUMBERS

Northeast Texas Regional Drug Taskforce has increased activity 60
percent last year.

The additional drug busts were not easy as the area's most widely
manufactured drug - a cheap form of methamphetamine called "crank" -
is now produced literally on the road in automobiles.

The task force presented the news to Lamar County Commissioners Court
in requesting a $2,000 fund increase from last year. The task force
already receives a federal grant of $485,000, and each local entity
covered by the force in Lamar, Red River and Fannin counties
contributes $26,950.

Crank production has roots in World War II Germany as Nazi soldiers
made the drug to use on the battlefield for increased stamina.

Today crank can be produced cheaply by using components found on a
grocery store shelf.

The task force is not responsible for preaching on the social ills of
illegal drug use or the harm an illicit drug like crank can do to the
body and the mind.

But undercover law officers are paid for knowing the lowdown on the street.

It's a dirty job, the war on drugs. Lamar County should be proud of
the troops in the trenches.