March 2005
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The Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement task force, a collaborative effort of local and federal law enforcement, continues to report high numbers of drug seizures. This year, JADE officials recorded their second-largest cocaine seizure in a decade with 2,635 grams.
The agency announced in its 2004 annual report the disruption of three Jamaican-led drug-distribution groups and another criminal group with leadership in New York.
Since its inception in 1995, JADE has arrested 1,906 people.
“The more they send away, there are those who will take their places,” local defense lawyer Fred Heblich said. “The harsh penalties have not resulted in a decline in drug trafficking. My impression is that there is more drug trafficking here than 15 years ago. Certainly not less.”
