PUTNAM METH FIGHT HONORED BY FEDS

Much of what's been done by law officers here in the fight against
illegal drugs for the past couple of years has been top secret,
quietly run and funded by the federal government. But some results
have been publicized and some efforts have recently earned special
recognition, according to Putnam Sheriff Jerry Abston.

He said a federally funded stepped up effort to fight meth labs,
dubbed "Operation Stopgap," began in August of 2000.

At that time, officers here were reporting finding an average of 20
meth labs per month.

Aided by federal funding and a special task force formed with several
other nearby counties, the sheriff said the average number of illegal
meth labs cases has been reduced to about 10 per month these days.

"It's not that we don't still have the problem or that it won't
continue -- but we have made some progress," Abston said.

He said Putnam County two years ago joined the Stopgap effort, along
with Overton, DeKalb, Fentress, Smith, and Cumberland Counties, led
by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

That Task Force was able to secure federal funds to pay law officers
for working the many hours of overtime some drug cases require and
also to pay for the specialized hazardous materials cleanups required
when meth labs are found.

"In this whole area during the past couple of years, we seized a
total of 179 drug labs and arrested a total of 227 persons," Abston
said.

Many were arrested on meth charges and others on charges relating to
other illegal drugs. Some cases were taken through the federal court
system, and others were left to be prosecuted in state courts, he
said.

"We always hope these cases can go federal because our state laws,
especially on meth, just do not have the teeth that the federal laws
have," the sheriff said.

He said state lawmakers want to remedy that, but must first find a
way to solve the state's budget crisis.

"Any new law they make where the punishment would be enhanced would
be a revenue item, and they first have to solve the budget problem,"
he said.

Federal prosecution of local illegal drug cases is also "much to our
advantage in other ways," he said.

"Our enforcement, without joining some task force like Stopgap, stops
at the county line, and by joining in with others, we have more law
officers out there working these cases," he said.

One recent case in this area which required law officers from several
counties was that of the illegal drug activity uncovered and
prosecuted in the Free Hill community of Clay County, Sheriff Abston
noted.

"That was seen by the federal authorities as among the top
investigations in the country," he said.

Several residents of that community were arrested and are serving
time in federal prisons, he said.

Other investigations conducted in this area have resulted in the
confiscation and destruction of numerous meth labs, and federal
authorities now estimate that law officers in the Putnam area,
working in Stopgap, have taken more than 30 pounds of meth off the
street, Abston said.

The federal agencies which have worked with the county sheriff's
departments on the cases include the U.S. Attorney's office, the Drug
Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms agency, and the U.S. Marshal's office. The state's TBI has
also been involved.

"Operation Stopgap participants developed a strategy and shared
information unselfishly," says a news statement from the U.S.
Attorney's office.

Federal authorities came to Cookeville recently to commend the
various local law enforcers for their work.

Those who were singled out for exceptional contributions included FBI
Special Agent Bart Brown of Cookeville; TBI Special Agent Dan Ogle,
13th Judicial District Drug Task Force Agent Danny Espinosa,
Cumberland County Sheriff's Deputy David Gibson, and Sparta Police
Detective Allen Selby.

Also honored was Putnam Deputy Sam Lee, who previously headed the
Drug Task Force here and who helped run the Free Hill investigation.

"We are proud of all this recognition," Sheriff Abston said.

And the investigations into illegal drug activity, especially meth
lab activity, are still going, he said.