Woodford Hopes To Join Drug-Busters

COUNTY MAY TEAM WITH TASK FORCE TO STOMP MUSHROOMING PROBLEM

EUREKA - Woodford County's rural atmosphere, open spaces and serene,
friendly character has helped it earn the reputation among residents as a
great place to raise families.

However, it's that same rural character and location - lodged between
Peoria and Bloomington with easy access to major highways - that makes the
county prime breeding ground for illegal drugs and trafficking, Woodford
County State's Attorney Mike Stroh said.

County officials are considering joining a Multi-Agency Enforcement Group,
a drug-investigating team of participating police departments.

Such units already operate in Peoria and Tazewell counties, leaving
Woodford as the only county in the Tri-County area without one.

A MEG unit would help rein the sale and use of a hodgepodge of illegal
drugs creeping into the county, including cocaine, methamphetamines and
nitrous oxide.

"Because of the size of our county and the size of our police departments,
we do not have sufficient resources to devote officers full time to the
investigation of drug crimes," Stroh said.

The first meth-related arrest came in 1999; just last month, the operator
of the county's first known meth lab pleaded guilty to a drug charge. Meth
is a dangerous and environmentally hazardous drug made from household and
agricultural chemicals.

In the past six months there have been about a dozen thefts of anhydrous
ammonia - an ingredient in producing meth - from agricultural supply
facilities throughout the county, police said.

"Meth is a serious problem, and we're starting to see an introduction of
methamphetamine into our community," Stroh said. "But if we have people
devoted specifically to this problem, then we can actively address it."

That's not to discount crimes involving marijuana, which are the most
frequently charged drug crimes by the state's attorney's office.

Actually, the number of drug charges has dropped in the county. But that's
not to say the number or drug users or drug traffickers has lessened, Stroh
said.

Stroh filed about 40 felony drug charges from 2001 through this month.
However, there were about 50 felony drug charges filed in all of 2000.

"(A MEG unit) is not a knee-jerk reaction to anything specific; we're not
reacting to anything," said County Board member Larry Whitaker. "We want to
begin the dialogue and discussion."

Only half of the county's cities and villages have their own police
departments, and each of those have just a few officers and sometimes only
one patrolman on each shift, making undercover work very difficult.

"The problem that we run into is because our officers aren't able to devote
a full amount of time to arresting drug offenders," Stroh said. "A MEG unit
would help protect the young people from the influx of drugs into the
community."