The Edmond Sun

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January 25, 2011

Drug Bureau: Cartel activity increases in Oklahoma

Mark Schlachtenhaufen The Edmond Sun

EDMOND — Mexican cartel-related activity is increasing in Oklahoma, a prominent drug distribution hub along with several other states near the border, an official said.

Given recent news headlines including an Edmond traffic stop netting 8.2 pounds of marijuana and the “Cathouse” case testimony about Mexican drug cartels and $100,000 drug deals you may be wondering about the current local situation.

A number of Mexican cartels — The Gulf Cartel Federation, Juarez Cartel, an association of cartels known as the “Federation” and the Tijuana Cartel Federation — control regions bordering the United States, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Mark Woodward, spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, said Oklahoma is a destination and transit area for shipments of drugs coming from Mexico.

On a scale of 1-10, with the low end being quiet town USA and 10 being at the high end of Mexican cartel-related drug activity, Oklahoma is currently a 10 along with other states near the border with Mexico, Woodward said.

“It’s frightening because of the amount of drugs and the violence of those cartels,” he said. “These same people are operating in Oklahoma.”

Drug trafficking organizations and criminal groups use Oklahoma’s intersecting interstate highways to transport illicit drugs into and through the state, Woodward said.

Drug dealers look for locations where neighbors do not communicate and isolate themselves, according to the OBN. Money is a key element for the drug dealer. If a dealer establishes a drug house in a neighborhood where youth and adults have money to buy drugs, business will thrive. Woodward said it’s likely the southwest Oklahoma City house mentioned in the “Cathouse” case was a probable “stash house.”

“Drug and property crime rates skyrocket when drug dealers move into neighborhoods,” Woodward said. “Stolen property and identity theft are frequent means of feeding an addiction.”

Glynda Chu, spokeswoman for the Edmond Police Department, said the level of Mexican drug cartel-related activity in Edmond is currently low to moderate. Through drug investigations, the agency is continually gaining knowledge of this activity, and how drugs are coming into the community, Chu said.

“The more knowledge we have, the more effective our arrests will be,” Chu said. “We are concerned about any distribution of drugs in Edmond.”

Edmond Police are equally concerned about drugs whether they are coming from Mexico or western states like California and Colorado, which have legalized medical marijuana more potent than that coming from Mexico, Chu said.

Additionally, the majority of marijuana arrests in Edmond have involved medical or hydro marijuana, Chu said. Police also are concerned about prescription medication commonly being abused by teens and young adults, she said.

“While the effective pseudoephedrine law in Oklahoma has created a decline in meth labs in the state, we have found the Mexican cartels have stepped up production to fill that void,” Chu said.

Chu said Edmond residents are a part of the solution to the local drug problem, and police rely on information obtained from concerned citizens.

Chu encouraged anyone with information about illegal drug activity, or any other illegal activity, to text 625-TEXT (625-8398), the Police Department’s text tip line. It is anonymous and no one in the agency will know from where it came, she said.

Residents should not be disappointed if an arrest isn’t made immediately after submitting a tip, Chu said. Investigations take time, and police want to make sure they have a solid case before making an arrest, she said.

“Parents also need to check their children’s text messages on their phones, and speak to them about the dangers of not only street drugs, but the abuse of prescription medication and new experimental drugs arriving every day,” Chu said.

Edmond is fighting the drug problem by developing informants and various information sources, obtaining search warrants and working with the OBN and DEA, Chu said.

Oklahoma City, location of the “stash house,” is also aggressively combating drugs.

Oklahoma City Police Capt. Patrick Stewart said his department is partnering with other agencies and uses strategies at the street level and gang level, and has units for large-scale anti-drug operations.



marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108

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