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DEA: Lax Colo. Laws Bring More Organized Crime

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Apr 13, 2008 5:35 pm US/Mountain

DEA: Lax Colo. Laws Bring More Organized Crime

DENVER (AP) ― A Drug Enforcement Administration agent says softer laws on drugs mean an increase in organized crime in Colorado. The DEA says it's a direct result of changes in Colorado's drug laws.

Organized crime groups and the drugs they deal are moving into Colorado at a quicker rate.

"I think they believe it's a good market and I think the case could be made that it is a good market," said Jeffrey Sweetin, the DEA special agent in charge of Colorado.

Sweetin said it's in part because of Denver's law making marijuana legal in small amounts and a state-wide initiative to legalize medical marijuana.

"People here think they're so far from the border, they're insulated from it," he said. "They're not insulated from it."

Colorado has long been an ideal location for drug dealers.

"We're really the hub of the western interstate system." Sweetin said. "If you couple that also with we're an airline hub, a major airline hub, we're a bus hub, we're a train hub; it's really the perfect location to trans-ship from."

DEA agents have learned over the years that what happens in Colorado is just a small part of the problem.

"We realize that these cases are not Colorado cases," Sweetin said. "Just because the dope's here, the bad guys are here, there are bosses in Mexico."

Since Sept. 11, law enforcers across the country and around the world have re-focused their drug busting efforts. They now work closely together to fight crime, but working with so many different agencies presents its own challenges.

"The challenge that we have now, we uncover a case and it may be tied into 12 other cities," Sweetin said. "The difficulty is knowing when to start arresting people. Because what we find as we dig away is we find these are bigger organizations than when we started."

Sweetin said instead of following the drugs, they now follow the money, because money goes back to leadership. The leaders are who they are now taking down, no matter where in the world they are.

"I think the best thing we can do is keep doing what we're doing," he said.

Sweetin said the number of drug leaders in the world has never been more than about 50. A small number when the large amount of drugs that's produced is considered.

The DEA says when it comes down to it, statistics show marijuana is the most widely abused drug in Colorado.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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