By CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
The Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement task force successfully completed its sixth major narcotics bust in less than a month last week, earning the praise of city officials.“Our thinking is that it’s been very effective and represents a nice cooperation between University, city, and county officers,” Charlottesville Mayor David J. Toscano said.
“We’re very pleased with the way the task force is working out,” said Detective Sgt. B.A. Bibb, coordinator of the JADE task force and a Charlottesville police officer.
On Jan. 23, a search warrant for an area of Fifth St. Southwest turned up a small amount of crack cocaine. The following day, JADE officers, following up on a warrant for a property on Prospect St., made two arrests, one adult and one juvenile.
Jan. 25, officers seized a large amount of marijuana and more than $11,000 in cash in the south side of the city. Police arrested one suspect.
JADE Task Force officers arrested five and seized 70 grams of crack cocaine - with a street value of approximately $14,000 - on Hardy Dr. Jan. 26th.
Less than one week later, officers served another Prospect St.-area search warrant, netting two arrests and the seizure of 17 grams each of crack cocaine and marijuana.
The latest bust came Thursday, when JADE officers executed a search warrant for an address at the east side of town. Officers seized 35 grams of crack cocaine, $2,500 in cash and made one arrest.
Often, the drugs and drug money seizures benefit the city.
“Sometimes we get seizure dollars that come out of the task force. Some of the money gets returned to [the city] to fund other anti-drug programs,” Toscano said.
JADE task force members followed a largely standard procedure in each of the six recent busts, Bibb said.
“Information comes from a confidential, reliable informant,” Bibb said. “A lot of times we’ll then do surveillances and see what kind of traffic comes into the area [and] then we’ll get a search warrant,” Bibb said.
Source: The Cavalier Daily (print edition) February 13, 1996
