DEA SPEAKS AT PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING

FALLBROOK -- Sharing everything from their progress dismantling Mexican
drug cartels to tips for spotting meth labs and marijuana groves, Drug
Enforcement Administration officials spoke this week at a Fallbrook public
safety meeting.

More than 160 people attended Tuesday's presentation, organized by the
Fallbrook Citizens' Crime Prevention Committee.

Several said they were pleased to have an inside look at the DEA, an
agency whose work is often shrouded in secrecy.

DEA officials detailed the many investigative teams within the local San
Diego Field Division, which includes a North County office, in Carlsbad.

The agency has a wide range of tasks, from scouring local mountains and
canyons for marijuana groves to investigating illegal pharmaceutical sales
on the Internet.

"I was really impressed," resident Kathy Thibault said after the meeting,
held at Zion Lutheran Church. "I didn't realize all of the things they do,
like (investigating) money laundering."

A portion of the agency's presentation was spent on the Arellano Felix
Organization, the violent Tijuana-based drug trafficking cartel. Years of
DEA investigation, disruption of the cartel and recent arrests and
killings have nearly crippled the notorious family-run outfit, said Eileen
Zeidler, a DEA San Diego special agent and spokeswoman.

"They're not gone, but we've got 11 out of 12 nails in their coffin,"
Zeidler told the audience.

The power vacuum, DEA officials acknowledged, has led to much of the
recent violence in Baja California, as rival drug trafficking groups have
battled to gain the upper hand.

After the presentation, residents asked DEA officials and local law
enforcement leaders how to combat drug crimes in their neighborhoods.

Resident Ali Nusbaum asked what can be done about suspected local drug
houses.

DEA officials, along with Sheriff's Lt. Alex Dominguez, who heads the
Fallbrook Sheriff's Station, said providing specific information about a
suspected crime -- such as an exact address, or the make and model of a
vehicle -- helps best.

"(Complaints) will be addressed. You may not see immediate action because
it takes some time," said Robert Dorenbush, who heads the DEA's Carlsbad
office.

Zeidler added that, during the course of an investigation, the DEA will
sometimes leave lower-level drug criminals "in play to move up the food
chain." She noted, however, that the agency would not leave individuals
who pose an imminent threat to the community.

Keeping your eyes -- and nose -- on alert can help combat local meth labs
and marijuana operations, officials noted.

Signs of meth labs include finding numerous packages of pseudoephedrine,
strong acids, iodine and even Drano, which often is used as a base for
making meth, Dorenbush said.

When cooked, the ingredients give off an irritating chemical odor "like
burnt aspirin and chalk," he said.

Indicators that your neighbor might be cultivating an indoor marijuana
operation include extra ventilation fans on the roof or windows blocked
off or taped over, he said.

The key, Dorenbush added, is to be vigilant.

Last year, six Fallbrook-area homes were raided that had been converted
into indoor marijuana-growing operations, Zeidler said.

Far more raids took place on outdoor pot groves in the region.

An estimated 70 marijuana groves were raided in 2008 in the
Fallbrook/Bonsall/De Luz area, said Sheriff's Deputy Steve Reed, who is
assigned to the DEA San Diego's Narcotics Task Force.