METH BOOM REACTIVATES TASK FORCE

COLBY, Kan. (AP) - Officials say a dramatic increase in the number of
methamphetamine labs in northwest Kansas has helped prompt the
reactivation of the Quad-County Task Force to stem the flow of drugs
through the region.

The task force includes Thomas, Sherman, Logan, Gove and Wallace
counties along with the city police departments of Oakley, Colby and
Goodland.

The task force was formed in 1991, disbanded in 1996 because of a
lack of money and reactivated in 2000 through a four-year grant that
requires a local match from member agencies.

The task force is important because drug traffickers know no
jurisdictional boundaries, said coordinator Doug Murphy. The small
agencies found in northwest Kansas have limited resources, and by
working together they are able to share resources and information in
order to better investigate and combat drug trafficking and
manufacturing.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation recently assigned a full-time
undercover narcotics agent to northwest Kansas who will work with the
task force and other agencies.

The Kansas Highway Patrol and Thomas County Sheriff's Office have
made large seizures of cash and drugs on the highways, Murphy said,
while the task force focuses on local dealers and manufacturers. That
doesn't result in seizing large amounts of drugs or cash, but has a
more immediate effect on the local drug problem.