SMITH INTRODUCES METH KINGPIN ELIMINATION ACT

When It Comes To The War On Drugs, There's Always Room For More Help
And More Money.

In an attempt to help with that fight, U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith,
R-Neb., unveiled the Methamphetamine Kingpin Elimination Act this
past week. The bill would increase penalties for drug kingpin
offenses and would authorize an additional $20 million for
multi-jurisdictional methamphetamine task forces.

Smith is a member of the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control
Methamphetamine.

Charles Isom, a spokesman for Smith, said the extra money would be
dispersed at the national level to organizations such as the FBI, the
Drug Enforcement Administration and the Border Patrol. It could then
be filtered down to local task forces to help make things more
efficient and aid in cooperation, he said.

Grand Island police Sgt. Ellis Collins, a supervisor for the Tri-City
Drug Task Force, said extra funding would be welcome in Central
Nebraska. The task force is currently funded by its agency members
the police departments from Grand Island, Kearney and Hastings; the
sheriff's departments from Hall, Buffalo and Adams counties; the
Nebraska State Patrol; the FBI; and the U.S. attorney's office.

The task force also receives financial backing from the High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and the Compact for
Apprehension of Narcotics Dealers and Offenders (CANDO), Collins said.

The agencies that fund the local task force have had to tighten purse
strings when it comes to budgets over the last several years and any
extra funding would be put to good use, he said. Locally, there is a
need for more human resources, and new equipment is always needed to
keep up with changing technology, he said.

"The more people we can put on the streets, the more bad guys we can
catch and throw in jail," Collins said.

The number of meth labs in the U.S. has declined since Congress
enacted the Combat Meth Epidemic Act last year. The legislation
restricted the sale of pseudoephedrine, which is a key ingredient in
the manufacture of meth. Still, it is estimated as much as 80 percent
of the meth in the U.S. comes from Mexico. Unlike the small U.S.
labs, Mexican drug cartels are creating "super labs," which produce
huge quantities of meth to be smuggled north to the United States,
according to a press release from Smith's office.

Collins said a large percent of the meth in the Grand Island area
comes from Mexico, making the city a supply hub for drug dealers in
the surrounding communities and states. The mission of the task force
is to identify, investigate and prepare prosecutable cases against
major drug trafficking organizations that affect Central Nebraska.

"It is past time to stop the flood of meth coming across our border
and to crack down on the thugs making millions peddling this
dangerous drug," Smith said. "Meth devastates not only those who
abuse the drug, but their families and their communities as well.
From rural districts like mine to urban areas, we must do all we can
to end the scourge of meth in this country."

The introduction of the bill comes after the recent arrest of meth
trafficker Zhenli Ye Gon. In March, police raided his Mexico City
mansion, where they found more than $207 million in cash, most of
which was stashed behind false walls and in closets. Ye Gon is
accused of supplying Mexican drug cartels with massive quantities of
restricted chemicals to make meth, according to the release from
Smith's office.