AGENCIES TARGET I-20 TRAFFICKING

Hundreds of miles of interstate and Georgia and South Carolina highways
make up the transportation backbone of the Augusta area, bringing commerce
and tourism from surrounding states.

But on those same roads travel drug couriers either making local deliveries
or just passing through. ``We do see it as a problem because we have
(Interstate 20) running through Columbia County,'' said Lt. Clay Smith,
head of special operations for the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
``While it's not as bad as I-95, it's there.''

Lt. Smith and Lt. Robert Partain, head of Narcotics Investigation for the
Richmond County Sheriff's Department, said they don't have numbers to back
up an increase of drug shipments on I-20, but they do believe there is a
strong presence.

``My personal belief is there is a lot of drug trafficking between Atlanta
and Columbia because you can take I-20 to Florence (S.C.) and head straight
up I-95 to New York,'' Lt. Partain said.

Capt. B.L. Oliver, head of Criminal Investigation for the Aiken County
Sheriff's Office, said that although he has not seen an increase in arrests
on the interstate, that doesn't mean the problem is not there.

With such a large area to cover in combating drug trafficking in the
Augusta area, the law enforcement agencies in both South Carolina and
Georgia pool their resources to make up for manpower or
information-gathering shortcomings.

``You periodically make contact with other agencies to gain any information
that they may have that is relevant to our jurisdiction, and if we have
something for them we pass that along,'' Capt. Oliver said.

Drug trafficking is defined as any person carrying more than 50 pounds of
marijuana or 28 grams of cocaine or methamphetamine. Trafficking charges
for other drugs depend on weight.

The sheriff's departments in Richmond, Columbia and Aiken counties and
other South Carolina and Georgia agencies depend on one another for
physical support when it comes to staunching the flow of drugs.

Aiken County Sheriff's Office periodically will assist the South Carolina
Highway Patrol and Department of Transportation with checkpoints on I-20
exits and other roads. At these stops, licenses are checked on all drivers,
and deputies might use drug dogs to look for evidence of drugs in any cars.

``We have stepped up our effort as far as interdiction; however, we prefer
that to remain under the control of the South Carolina Highway Patrol,''
Capt. Oliver said.

Columbia County has six drug-detecting dogs in its narcotics investigation
division; Richmond County has three; and Aiken County has two.

Columbia County works with the Georgia State Patrol in creating similar
checkpoints, Lt. Smith said.

At established checkpoints and normal traffic stops, deputies of all law
enforcement agencies pick up on the demeanor of drivers to determine
whether they might be carrying drugs, Lt. Partain said.

Excessive nervousness or agitation at traffic stops are tips that South
Carolina Highway Patrol troopers look for as signs of a potential drug
courier, said Sid Gaulden, spokesman for the South Carolina Department of
Public Safety.

``Let's say the guy somebody stops has a headlight out, and you pull him
over and he just flies off the handle,'' Mr. Gaulden said. ``It gives them
pause to stop and think and maybe ask to look in the car.''

Drug couriers, however, come from all walks of life and do not fit any
particular mold, Lt. Partain said. Even if there was a particular look,
method or style drug couriers have or use, it is illegal for an officer to
stop or search a driver based on a profile.

These couriers can make anywhere from $1,000 to 3,000 per trip, according
to information from arrested traffickers, Lt. Partain said. Some
traffickers also try to conceal or disguise the smell of drugs they are
carrying in their vehicles, he said.

``They try and take the drugs and mask them with some type of odor, whether
it be fabric softener or coffee grounds or mustard or anything they think a
narcotics dog will not detect,'' he said. ``I've seen many different
things, but it's never worked.''

False gas tanks in cars, shampoo bottles and body cavities are other hiding
places used by traffickers, Lt. Partain said.

Even though many drug busts come from random traffic stops, they are not
the best way to fight narcotics trafficking, Capt. Oliver said.

``They are an important and valuable tool, but every time we make a traffic
stop doesn't mean we're going to interdict drugs,'' he said. ``It's going
to take resources, more education, the whole gamut. It's going to take a
well-educated, well-trained (officer) with the right tools and resources to
make the right decisions and ask the right questions to make something
happen.''

The ability to stop traffickers requires patient and deliberate
investigating or someone close to a drug courier turning him in, Lt. Smith
said.

``We've had some large-scale traffickers that have been doing it for years
and years, and their downfall was the sources of information, whether it
was an informant or an anonymous tip,'' he said. ``Unless we (have) that,
it is hard to catch some traffickers sometimes. ``Somebody is going to rat
them out. It's just a matter of time. They can't be perfect every step of
the way. Somewhere along the line, there is going to be a trail, and we'll
be right there to pick it up.''

[sidebar]

STATISTICS:

Richmond County Sheriff's Department drug trafficking arrest statistics.

1997 (1805 Total Drug Arrests)

Cocaine -- 42

Marijuana -- 2

Methamphetamine -- 5

Heroin -- 0

1998 (2112 Total Drug Arrests)

Cocaine -- 40

Marijuana -- 0

Methamphetamine -- 2

Heroin -- 2

1999 (1807 Total Drug Arrests through November)

Cocaine -- 51

Marijuana -- 0

Methamphetamine -- 2

Heroin -- 1

Drug Arrests (all violations) in Aiken County by all law enforcement agencies

1996 -- 543

1997 -- 570

1998 -- 719

*Columbia County Sheriff's Office does not separate drug trafficking
charges from regular drug arrests statistically, said Lt. Clay Smith, head
of special operations. The overall drug arrests numbers have stayed
``around 500'' for 1997-1999, he said.

Source - Richmond County Sheriff's Department and the South Carolina State
Law Enforcement Division.