Drug stops on rise

Patrol: Drug stops on rise
Officers keep eyes on I-35

by Andrew Gaug
Monday, March 23, 2009




The St. Joseph Police Department may see how drugs filter their way into communities, but efforts from the Missouri State Highway Patrol are trying to stop them from getting here in the first place.

Sgt. Sheldon Lyon, the patrol’s public information officer for Troop H, said officers and a drug interdiction team have had a busier time this year taking down drug offenders on busy highways.

Mr. Lyon said Interstate 35 serves as the busiest highway for Troop H when it comes to drug traffickers.

“Drug dealers use it as a pipeline on the interstate system to larger metropolitan cities like Minneapolis, Chicago and Cleveland,” he said.

Due to Mexico’s drug production schedule, bigger shipments start getting smuggled into the area around October and peak in the spring months of March and April before tapering off in May.

Recently, I-35 has seen its fair share of action, ranging from catching a driver in February from Arkansas with marijuana, narcotics and a revoked license to a recent arrest where two people from Texas were caught with marijuana in two flour sacks and a lard bucket.

Though hiding drugs in a bag, tackle box or speakers is fairly common, there’s also the sneakier fake gas tanks and false bottoms in vehicles. Mr. Lyon said keeping up with the inventive ways of smuggling drugs in cars is a task.

“Sometimes traffickers will hire a woman and child to drive with them to make it look like they’re a family,” he said. “We’re always trying to keep with the evolution and changes.”

The patrol’s drug interdiction team that makes arrests started in 1993. Mr. Lyon, who was once an interdiction officer, said it has always been two officers and a German Shepherd on call at all times.

He said the seizures have ranged from small amounts of marijuana to hundreds of pounds of cocaine to large sums of money.

“It’s not uncommon to see a cash seizure of more than $1 million,” he said.

Since it’s not easy to judge who is and isn’t a drug dealer, as well as discover if they have any drugs, the team’s German Shepherd helps get the job done.

“The Missouri State Highway Patrol has a premier K-9 program that’s a result of getting the right dog to do the work,” Mr. Lyon said. He cites an example when he pulled over a tractor-trailer that he thought was carrying onions.

“It turns out it was also carrying 2,000 pounds of cocaine,” he said. “A human wouldn’t have noticed because of the strong scent of onions, but a dog has the ability to separate those smells.”

The K-9 program, along with the interdiction team, are two examples of the patrol giving back to the community. Mr. Lyon said all the money seized through drug arrests in Missouri go to state school funds.

“It’s a win-win deal,” he said.

It also has its personal rewards, Mr. Lyon said.

“As a cop, you see the effects drugs have on people and their community. This is the other side, where you can stop it and really make impact,” he said.

Andrew Gaug can be reached

at andrewgaug@npgco.com.