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The bucolic Prince William Sound fishing community of Cordova, nearthe mouth of Southcentral Alaska's famous Copper River, may be bestknown for fishing, rain and tourism. And methamphetaine and heroin? Last week the Cordova police department reached what officersdescribe as a milestone in an ongoing investigation into drugdealing in Cordova. Bang G. Dinh, a long-time Cordova resident, wasarrested at his residence for possession and distribution ofmethamphetamine. The investigation has revealed several suspects intrafficking of methamphetamine and heroin into Cordova. Local investigation The investigation, conducted mainly by Cordova police officers MacBurrell, Zack Johns and Shane Musgrave, resulted from routinepatrol duties and was developed to include surveillance, controlledpurchases and the cultivation of confidential informants. The result, according to Burrell, is the largest seizure of drugsin his five years with the Cordova police department, as well asdeveloping information on drug trafficking in the tiny town,population just under 2,300. In the current case we seized over 70 grams of methamphetamine, said Burrell. To give you an idea of street value, there are 30grams to an ounce. An end dealer buys an ounce for $1,800, andsells that ounce for $11,200. We have developed enough information to know all of the dealersin Cordova, all of the users, what they are using and how they aregetting it, said officer Burrell. In the past, we have hadinformation that resulted in mid-management busts. With thisinvestigation, we have enough information to move up the ladder aswell as down. We expect to see further arrests and the Office ofChildren s Services has been notified. Heroin use explodes While methamphetamine in Cordova has remained constant, Burrellsaid, heroin use has exploded over the past 12-18 months. Speaking to dealers and users, they are saying that Cordova has alarge addiction problem for a community of our size and theacceptability of hard drugs like meth and heroin has becomemainstream, Burrell said. The use of heroin with needles isbeing described as just what people do. It used to be if you were using and you were at somebody shouse, you would go to the bathroom or outside. Now it is simplycommon to just pull out your kit and inject right there in front ofeveryone without even asking anyone. Officers Burrell and Johns are also very clear to point out thatthis is a Cordova problem. This is not a seasonal or a them problem. It s an us problem. The dealers are Cordovans. The users are Cordovans. Andit s year round, said Burrell. These are people who knowbusiness owners, who are mainstream, born and raised here. How far does the problem reach? Meth and heroin users are primarilyused by the age 19-35 crowd, according to Johns. But what reallyconcerns the officers is the path of addiction. 'Hard-core' drugs National and state wide statistics indicate that the average age offirst-time users of meth and heroin is dropping. The officers saythe department is aware of kids in sixth grade smoking pot, andhigh school students who are using and dealing pills in volumesthat indicate the situation is far worst than raiding the householdmedicine cabinet. We want parents and adults to talk to the kids, ask them what isgoing on, what they know, said Burrell. Kids need to beeducated and the parents need to be involved. These are hard-core drugs and it s a fact that a user is alwayschasing that first high and they will spend whatever it takes toget that high. That high school kid in 10th grade who starts usingwill eventually become a dealer to pay for (his or her) own habit.The community really needs to think about the consequences. This article originally appeared in The Cordova Times and is republished here with permission. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Modular Booth Systems Manufacturer , Modular Trade Show Booth for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits 10x10 Booth Display.
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