AGENCIES TRYING TO PUT A DENT IN DRUG TRAFFICKING

POTSDAM - Although there may be no official ongoing war on drugs, law
enforcement agencies continue to put a dent on trafficking through St.
Lawrence County.

"There's no official war on drugs but the fight is still there and
it's hot and heavy," U.S. Border Patrol Agent in charge of the Massena
Border Patrol Station Dick Ashlaw said.

In the past several years the Massena based U.S. Border Patrol seized
millions of dollars as well as dozens of boats and cars through their
drug busting efforts, according to Ashlaw. But he said the Border
Patrol couldn't have performed to such a standard without the aid of
local law enforcement agencies.

"All we have to do is intercept things coming across the border,"
Ashlaw said. "We depend on local agencies away from the border (to
help)."

Ashlaw said he wasn't sure what percent of the total drugs being
trafficked is intercepted but said whimsically the border patrol is
catching 100 percent of what they're catching. He added in the past
year over $300,000 has been seized from drug bust.

The money seized from those drug bust are distributed amongst law
enforcement agencies based on the amount of aid they provided during
the arrest, Ashlaw said. Vehicles impounded which are not returned to
their owners are auctioned and the money provided from these auctions
also go to law enforcement agencies.

Potsdam Chief of Police John Kaplan added weapons and drugs seized are
destroyed when they are no longer needed as evidence.

The most common drug being smuggled across the Canadian border is
hydroponic marijuana.

This specially grown form of marijuana has an increased level of
delta-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC), according to Ashlaw, THC is the
active ingredient in marijuana. The marijuana coming from Quebec is
often times referred to as "Quebec Gold" for its high value on the
street.

"At one point hydroponic marijuana was being traded evenly for
cocaine," Ashlaw said. He said the reason drug traffickers are
smuggling the high-grade weed is because it provides a high
profitability with low risk.

But cannabis isn't the only drug coming across the border. Ashlaw said
crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy have also turned up in a number of
busts but stated marijuana still poses the most profit potential and
is therefore more common.

Kaplan said the drug traffickers in the area are starting to get
organized, which is an ever-growing concern for the veteran policeman.
He said traffickers are also smuggling an increased amount of firearms.

"The highly organized groups with numbers of weapons concern us,"
Kaplan said.

But increased firepower and organized drug smuggling still hasn't
dissuaded the Potsdam Police Department from helping the border patrol
with the war on drugs.

The Potsdam Police Department was recognized yesterday for their role
in aiding the border patrol with several drug-related arrests.

Kaplan was presented with a $40,952.92 check which came from seized
money from five separate arrest in which Kaplan's officers assisted.

Ashlaw said the help local agencies provide could come in the form of
detaining suspects, transporting convicted criminals to the
correctional facility or even providing K-9 support to help with
sniffing out drugs.

"We all have something unique to offer in these instances," Kaplan
said.

Ashlaw said the local departments play a key role in drug arrest for
their mobility throughout the county.

"We all have to work together and be vigilant," Ashlaw said. Kaplan
said there seems to be some increase traffic of cannabis through the
county, which relate to the increase arrests.

He said with the highly enforced borders, the types of items being
smuggled have changed, with more drugs being trafficked than anything
else.

In today's high security post Sept 11 world, Ashlaw said, people are
more conscious about suspicious individuals coming across the border.
Those people also lend a hand in catching smugglers bringing
contraband into the states. However most of the time a drug capture is
mere fluke.

"It's usually something as simple as a traffic stop," St. Lawrence
County Undersheriff Kevin Wells said.

A lot of drug arrest along the border tend to happen during the winter
months, according to Ashlaw.

He said suspects are easier to find because there aren't as many
pleasure boats out on the St. Lawrence River when the temperature
drops. It's these limited amount of boats that make a smuggler's
vessel stand out.

Kaplan and members of the community will often times report drug
trafficking which gives police leads for arrests.

He said generally the younger crowd are the ones involved in drugs
within the area, but was very reluctant to identify a university
population as being responsible for any drugs in the Potsdam community.

"I feel both universities have made significant contributions in
reducing drugs in the community and on the campuses," Kaplan said.