State’s immigration law adds twist to war on drugs
BY CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer
Monday, November 12, 2007
11/12/07 at 2:04 AM
Related story: Ice Meth
Key is stemming ingredient flow
This month, House Bill 1804 went into effect, giving Oklahoma
the most stringent laws on illegal immigration in the country.
The law requires a check of citizenship status if a person is
arrested on a felony complaint.
The law may already have had some effect on the amount of
crystal methamphetamine in Tulsa County, as there has been a
10 percent to 15 percent decline in the amount seized by deputies
in the months leading up to November, said Tulsa County
sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Darby.
‘‘It’s getting harder to find,’’ Darby said. ‘‘I anticipate House
Bill 1804 may solve some of our drug problems.’’
Mark Woodward, spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of
Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, said that while many
drug cartel “lieutenants” in the United States may own businesses
and launder drug money through those operations, many of
them take measures to stay well below the law-enforcement radar.
‘‘There may be some that get picked up, but most are already
keeping a low profile,’’ Woodward said. ‘‘I don’t know if this law
will necessarily mean more (people involved in drug cartels) are
arrested. They’re hard to infiltrate. They move around a lot and
keep to themselves.’’
Woodward said it was too early to tell whether the law has had
an effect on the number of crystal meth seizures in the state.
‘‘Historically, we’ve seen peaks and valleys for a number of
different reasons,’’ he said. ‘‘I think it’s a little premature to say
what the effects have been on the drug trade.’’
