GOING DEEP UNDERCOVER

PRINCETON - The key to successfully investigating drug trading
organizations often depends on getting inside the operations, but that's
difficult to do in a uniform and a squad car.

That's why units such as the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task
Force are critically important in the fight to stem drug deals and demand
on the streets of Four Seasons Country, task force Coordinator J. Centeno
said this week.

The six officers on the three-county force come from a variety of
backgrounds and departments. The organization includes one officer each
from the West Virginia State Police, Princeton Police Department, Bluefield
Police Department, Mercer County Sheriff's Department, Wyoming County
Sheriff's Department and the McDowell County Sheriff's Department.

They log long days and put themselves in harm's way, often working in
undercover operations that force them to become part of the lifestyle they
really fight to dismantle, Centeno said.

Still, at the end of the day, or the investigation, he said the job's toll
is worth it when there are fewer drugs in a region, a neighborhood, or even
a single home.

Now 4 years old, the drug and violent crime task force was created in
August 2000, after members of the Bluefield and Princeton police
departments and the West Virginia State Police recognized a need for more
highly-trained, mobile manpower and federal funding to combat the surge in
drug activity, Centeno said.

At the time, there was a similar task force in place, but it was
headquartered in Raleigh County. Consequently, Centeno said, most of the
officers were from the Beckley area, and the force rarely had the time or
the officers to investigate drug activity in Mercer, McDowell or Wyoming
counties.

The coordinator credited Bluefield Police Chief C.N. Blizzard with being
one of the main driving forces behind the current task force. Centeno said
it was Blizzard who helped design the structure of the Southern Regional
Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, along with the U.S. Department of
Justice and the U.S. attorney representing the southern West Virginia district.

With the four initial parent agencies and federal authorities on board,
Centeno said the sheriff's departments from Mercer, McDowell and Wyoming
counties joined the effort, providing more officers and expertise in the
areas covered by the task force.

Federal funding keeps the task force in operation, paying for salaries of
the six officers. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas programs, which
enhance and coordinate drug control efforts among local, state and federal
law enforcement agencies, provide grants that fund overtime, equipment and
more.

The federal money makes sure local law enforcement agencies get the benefit
of well-trained officers and top-notch equipment without footing the bill.

For instance, he said, "The city of Bluefield gains the support of the
state police and four other police officers that are not on the payroll and
are committed to stopping drug-related crimes."

"Citizens don't have to worry about purchasing equipment," Centeno said,
due to the grants and forfeiture-sharing policies, which put the money and
items seized during investigations back to work in the communities.

"Our hard work pays," Centeno said. "And, it's being recognized on a
national level."

The task force's hard work is showing in the numbers of cases it carries as
well.

Centeno reported that the six officers had opened a combined 312
investigations to date in 2005, as of Wednesday. That number was up from a
total of 220 in 2004.

So far, he said the task force is investigating five multi-state
drug-trading organizations (DTOs), 23 local DTOs and one money laundering
operation.

In the first eight months of 2005, drug task force officers have seized 19
pounds of marijuana and 89 plants in four outdoor grows; 91.5 grams of
cocaine and 116 grams of crack, with a combined estimated street value of
approximately $21,000; 2 grams of heroine; approximately 1,500 units of
prescription pills; and two units of exstacy, Centeno said.

In addition, investigators have dismantled four methamphetamine labs in the
three counties and purchased approximately 700 prescription pills in
undercover investigations.

Although the numbers are up, Centeno said the increases don't mean there
are really more drugs in the area.

"It doesn't mean the drug crime has increased. It just means the drug task
force has taken a more proactive approach to getting more drugs off the
streets," he said.

While long-term investigations have often consumed much of the officers'
attention, Centeno said this year's goals have emphasized efforts to wipe
out street-corner dealers and smaller neighborhood operations.

He said he knew some citizens believed law enforcement officers either
don't understand or care about the severity of area drug activity, but
Centeno reminded those people that investigations are often ongoing behind
the obvious activity.

"People cannot see us. Our success lies in them not recognizing us as
police officers," he said.

In addition to drug cases, the task force also investigates particularly
violent crimes, such as homicides, and other illegal activity that often
accompanies drug use. Specifically, Centeno said the task force officer
from Princeton has recently concentrated on drug use and prostitution in
the area.

While the task force constantly targets the supply of drugs into the
region, Centeno said stopping the spread of the illegal substances depended
on stemming the demand. See next week's Princeton Times for more on that
aspect of the investigations, the drug task force and the ways it works
inside local communities.

In the meantime, to report suspected drug-related activity in your
neighborhood, contact the task force tip line at 327-DRUGS.