DTF APPREHENDS DRUG OFFENDERS

The Second Judicial Drug Task Force(DTF), headquartered in Luverne,
specializes in making drug cases for Butler, Crenshaw and Lowndes counties.
The team works with law enforcement agencies in the Second Judicial
District to nab drug offenders and send them to prison.

They make the cases and prosecute the offenders for the tri-county area,
according to District Attorney John Andrews. Because there is a lack of
manpower in local law enforcement agencies, the DTF specialists in drug
enforcement are available for assistance. "That's all these people do,"
Andrews said. "They work hand-in-hand with these departments and make my
job easier by helping catch these guys (drug offenders). "If all your time
is spent on one thing, you get pretty good at it," he said of the
specialized nature of the task force. He also said that the District
Attorney's office is "glad to have them" working in this area to get drugs
and drug offenders off the street. Drug Task Force Commander Chris West
said the force began operations in October of 1991 with four agents.

Butler County Sheriff Diane Harris was the first coordinator of the task
force and West took over as coordinator in 1995. He said his cousin, who
was serving as chief investigator for the Covington County Sheriff's Office
when West got out of the military, introduced him to law enforcement and he
did some undercover work with them. West said the force's main focus is to
enforce all state drug laws in the district and bring drug criminals to
justice, and that many informants aid in the effort to fight drug crimes.

Many times, the force will deal with the district attorney and the possible
informant's lawyer to use the person for information. The task force also
has undercover officers who go in and buy drugs and work to set up cases
against drug offenders. "We can't really operate without informants, he
said. "That's mainly how we are able to make successful cases - through the
people who are trying to help us." West said it is sometimes difficult
working with informants because they want to do things their way instead of
the way things need to be done to make cases. "We try to work with these
people (informants) and make them understand how we want to do things, not
the way they want to do things, the way we have to do things to make a
solid case," he said. West said the force receives information on
individuals and possible drug offenders and files are kept on the
individuals or groups. "Just like patrol get calls to domestics, we get
calls in reference to drugs," he said. He explained that Intel sheets are
kept on all information received by the force and files are kept on drug
offenders. "Sometimes the informant has a case pending and are getting
ready to go to court and we will talk to the DA for them and the DA will go
to the judge to see if we can possibly work out something with their fine
or sentencing based on the information they are able to give us," he said.
The biggest cash bust West says he has seen in this area was the arrest of
a subject from Florida who allegedly had a crystal methamphetamine and
marijuana network set up throughout Alabama. West said $44,000 was seized
from the subject on Highway 331. He also said there have been several big
"dope" busts recently. "We've gotten a lot here lately, especially in
Lowndes and Crenshaw counties," he said. West said that in order for the
force to be as successful as possible they need support from all law
enforcement agencies in the district so that the operations of the agencies
and the force will not overlap each other on cases.