U.S. ATTORNEY BEEFS UP KANSAS' ANTI-DRUG TEAM

U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren is getting help fighting drug crimes in Kansas.

Melgren has hired two new prosecutors, including former Sumner County
Attorney William Mott of Wellington, to specialize in prosecuting drug
crimes. Mott will join the Wichita office, and David Zabel of Lawrence will
work out of Topeka.

"The prosecution of drug trafficking crimes is a high priority for our
office," Melgren said in a statement announcing the new hires.

The special prosecutor positions are part of a White House drug initiative
for so-called High Impact Drug Trafficking Areas

"These are full-time prosecutors who can focus on the interests of
trafficking groups moving drugs in and across Kansas," said Dave Barton,
director of the HIDTA program in the Midwest region.

Kansas has 14 counties designated as high-impact drug trafficking areas.
Kansas is considered a Midwest pipeline, mainly for methamphetamine,
marijuana and cocaineimported from Mexico.

The drugs come illegally into Southwest border states and run through
Kansas on their way to Eastern and Southern states.

Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and South Dakota are all part of the high-impact
areas targeted by the HIDTA program for both smuggling and the growing
prevalence of meth labs.

"The clandestine labs account from only about 20 percent of the
methamphetamine coming into this area," Barton said from his office in
Kansas City. "The rest is being imported by trafficking groups from the
Southwest border states, Southern and Northern California and Mexico."

A report from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said
law enforcement authorities seize 500 to 900 meth labs in Kansas each year.

The counties in Kansas seeing the most activity are Cherokee, Johnson,
Labette, Leavenworth, Saline, Seward and Wyandotte.

The White House report, issued in April, counts 5,000 to 10,000 Kansas
adults arrested for illicit drug use. Between 200 and 500 of those are
federal cases from the Drug Enforcement Administration About 2,000
additional juveniles are arrested for drugs each year.

The only more prevalent crime is driving while under the influence of drugs
or alcohol.

And that doesn't count the crimes such as murder and rape committed by
people on drugs.

Jonathan and Reginald Carr were heavy drug users before killing five people
in December 2000, according to psychological testimony at their capital
murder trial.

Doug Belt, convicted of decapitating Lucille Gallagos two years later,
admitted to using crack cocaine.

Cocaine, both powder and cheaper crack, along with methamphetamine and
marijuana are the most prevalent drugs in Kansas.

"Methamphetamine is the principal drug threat to Kansas," said a White
House report on drug abuse issued this past spring.

The drug prosecutors are part of four recent additions to Melgren's office.

Douglas County District Attorney Christine Kenney, who was defeated for
re-election in November, will work out of Melgren's Topeka office. Jason
Coody of Topeka has also been hired by Melgren to prosecute gun crimes.

Zabel worked as a prosecutor under Kenney and is following his former boss
to the U.S. attorney's office.

Mott, who lives in Wellington, has served as Sumner County attorney since
January 1997. He is a 1995 graduate of Washburn University School of Law
and a 1991 graduate of Friends University.

Under the federal drug enforcement program, the drug prosecutors will be
cross-trained to work with state prosecutors trying drug offenses.