DEA agents urged for Redding

By Rebecca Deuel

June 23, 2000 Web posted at: 5:33 PM EDT (2133 GMT)

REDDING, California (Redding Record Searchlight) -- At the urging of local law enforcement officials, Sen. Dianne Feinstein has asked the Drug Enforcement Administration to station agents in Redding.

Feinstein's letter to the agency this week states that methamphetamine is so prevalent in Redding that its cost has dropped from $10,000 to $4,500 per pound in the past five years, information Redding Police Chief Bob Blankenship said came from his office.

Blankenship said the Police Department has been trying to get DEA officials in the area for several years.

"Locally we're very taxed as far as our capabilities," he said, adding that methamphetamine manufacturing, distribution and use are significant problems in the north state.

Commonly known as speed or crank, meth is a highly potent and addictive stimulant that can be produced from legally acquired chemicals.

Blankenship said he's written Feinstein and spoken with DEA representatives several times.

Feinstein also met with members of the California Sheriffs Association in April, when officials also requested help for law enforcement in the north state, said Shasta County Sheriff Jim Pope.

"We felt there was a need for DEA agents north of Sacramento and she apparently agreed," Pope said.

Arrests for methamphetamine production are frequent, the sheriff said.

"It's been an ongoing concern for us in the north state," he said.

Redding has a state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement that covers 10 northern counties, but no federal agents.

Shasta County District Attorney McGregor Scott said having DEA agents in the north state could help crack down on meth use all along the West Coast.

Traffickers bringing drugs from Southern and Central California to Oregon and Washington fall out of north state jurisdiction once they cross state lines, Scott said.

Materials used to produce methamphetamine in Redding also come from areas outside of local law enforcement's jurisdiction, Scott said, and federal agents are needed to help trace them.

Scott said those problems have been long standing in the area.

The seriousness of the meth problem prompted Scott to spearhead the formation of the Shasta County Methamphetamine Task Force two years ago.

"It's just been bad for a long time, and now they're trying to take some action to give us some assistance," he said.

According to a press release from Feinstein's office, the senator called for agents to help Redding coordinate enforcement efforts between Sacramento and the Oregon border and "thwart interstate drug trafficking."

Howard Gantman, communications director for Feinstein, said the senator's office had not yet received a response from the DEA.

Officials at the DEA could not be reached Thursday for comment.

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