LITTLE ROCK (10-31) 

     In a ceremony at the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, Sergeant Sammy Brown of the Arkansas Highway Police was recognized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for his work in drug interdiction.

     Sergeant Brown was presented a national award as the “Instructor of the Year for 2003” for the DEA’s Operation Pipeline/Convoy Program.  Presenting the award to Brown was James Mavromatis, Director of the El Paso Intelligence Center of the DEA.

     “The hardest audience to teach is your peers,” said Mavormatis.  “And Sergeant Brown has done an outstanding job of doing just that.”

     The Operation Pipeline/Convoy class focuses on safety by teaching law enforcement officers what to look for when stopping commercial vehicles on the road. 

     “I teach participants how to look for things that may be red flags,” says Brown.  “We want students to be aware of situations that may not be normal.”   

     Brown, stationed in West Memphis, has been teaching the class nationally for six years.  In 2003, he taught the class seven times with class sizes ranging from 30 to 150 students.  Nationally, 1,800 officers went through the program last year.  Selection of “Instructor of the Year” is based on class critiques furnished by the students.

     “This is awesome,” stated Brown.  “I appreciate all of the support that I have received.”

     “I feel a true sense of pride as one of our own is recognized,”  added Chief Ron Burks of the Arkansas Highway Police.

     Also on hand for the presentation was William Bryant, Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of the DEA in Arkansas.

      “I want to take this opportunity to thank the men and women of the Arkansas Highway Police for the hard work they do here in Arkansas,” Bryant stated.   “The DEA has a great working relationship with the Arkansas Highway Police.”

     The illegal drug market in the United States is one of the most profitable in the world.  As such, it attracts the most ruthless, sophisticated and aggressive drug traffickers.  Amid this voluminous trade, traffickers conceal cocaine, heroin, marijuana, MDMA and methamphetamine shipments for distribution in U.S. neighborhoods. 

     Drug law enforcement agencies face an enormous challenge in protecting the country’s borders.  In 2002, there were 27,635 DEA arrests. 

     The availability and rate of drug abuse in Arkansas remains high, coinciding with the smuggling of methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana, the drugs of choice for local consumption and further distribution.  Though smuggling methods involve all forms of transportation, the largest quantities of drugs are seized on Arkansas highways via interdiction programs.  Each year, tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana and hundreds of kilograms of cocaine are seized on Arkansas’ Interstates, particularly Interstate 40.  Most large seizures involve tractor-trailers, although private vehicles account for a significant percentage of total seizures, particularly methamphehetamine seizures.  Significant quantities of drugs are also seized from other forms of transportation including commercial air and bus service. *

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(* Statistics and information for this release were obtained from the Drug Enforcement Administration.)

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