DRUG USERS, SELLERS SHOULD FEEL UNEASY OVER COPS' SUCCESS

What an unnerving thought this must be for those involved in illegal
drug trade: More and more people are watching and telling.

We're talking about everybody from the little guy to major operations
all over North Iowa.

Law enforcement authorities are developing new drug-fighting
techniques, and the public is responding.

One of the newer drug-busting units is the Neighborhood Enforcement
Team of the Mason City Police Department.

It has been operating since October and focuses on neighborhood
concerns related to illegal drug sales and use, according to Police
Chief Dave Ellingson.

In other words, if someone reports a neighbor may be doing something
wrong, the NET takes over. The team also will take care of
neighborhood disturbances related to illegal drug activities,
according to Ellingson.

It's working: Since its inception, several arrests are being made
weekly.

On one recent case, officers found about 10 pounds of marijuana in a
residence and seized several thousand dollars.

NET members were led to the suspect after his name was mentioned in a
traffic stop. Imagine that, a name out of the blue eventually led to a
drug bust: Not huge, by any means, but still significant.

That's because word spreads that the heat's on. Other drug users have
to wonder if their name might be the next to come up.

Others see that the NET is working and realize something can be done.
Vigilance is increased.

It's as Police Sgt. Frank Stearns says: "Even a small-time meth dealer
comes in contact with a lot of people and can really disrupt a
neighborhood. We're able to handle a lot of cases, taking some of the
work and stress off the task force."

What a great addition to the drug wars.

As for the North Central Iowa Narcotics Task Force to which Stearns
referred, it's a multi-agency unit that usually investigates bigger,
more complicated and, naturally, more dangerous cases.

It was most recently in the news when 17 people were arrested on
cocaine-related charges. Most of those arrested are originally from
the Chicago area or Detroit but recently had been living in North Iowa.

In this case, the effort went well beyond North Iowa: Minneapolis and
Chicago police provided intelligence; Marshalltown and Story County
provided manpower, and the Iowa State Patrol provided three tactical units.

Search warrants were executed Nov. 9, but arrests weren't made until
late January, giving authorities plenty of time to build their cases
against the suspects.

Only the most naive will doubt the severity of the drug problem in
North Iowa. I-35 is a well-documented drug pipeline; meth labs are
scattered throughout the region; treatment agencies report horror
stories about drug users and those they have affected.

It's good to know that the hard work and partnership among various law
enforcement agencies is paying off.