DEA HONORS TROOPERS FOR ALERT WORK AGAINST DRUGS

The Drug Enforcement Administration recently honored Colorado State Patrol
troopers Steve Ortiz and Laurie Hadley for their part in nabbing suspected
drug dealers and uncovering illegal narcotics.

In 1999, Ortiz found 1,400 pounds of marijuana, 102 doses of LSD and other
drugs with a total value of more than $1,000,000 while conducting routine
traffic stops, said State Patrol spokesman Trooper Rich Breece.

Hadley and her drug-sniffing police dog Chief arrested eight suspected
smugglers and found 336 pounds of marijuana and more than 12 pounds of
cocaine in 1999, Breece said.

Both patrol highways in Pueblo. Many of the drugs seized were headed for
Colorado Springs and Denver, Breece said.

The amounts of drugs confiscated on southeastern Colorado's highways by
both troopers deserved special recognition, said DEA resident agent in
charge Kent Florence.

The troopers serve as an example of how easily a hunch that something's
wrong can turn into a large drug bust, Florence said.

For example, in June, Ortiz pulled over a 1989 Chrysler New Yorker that was
being driven erratically. The driver told Ortiz he could search the car -
except for the trunk.

Hadley and Chief assisted and sniffed out 127 pounds of marijuana valued at
$190,000.

"We ask officers while on routine patrol to follow through with obvious
questions, to observe what's going on with the traffic offender, try to
read his personal reactions," Florence said. "If there are leads, that
could indicate the driver is a wanted felon, or they may have drugs or
illegal weapons. The officers need to follow through."