NARCOTICS UNIT: 23 HAVE BEEN ARRESTED SINCE INCEPTION IN MAY

Since its formation in May, the Cape Girardeau City-County Narcotics Enforcement Unit has nabbed 23 suspected drug dealers in the area, as well as having found answers to unsolved crimes related to the drug market.

On Friday the unit orchestrated the arrest of two males who were carrying "a considerable amount" of crack cocaine and a gun in their vehicle, authorities said.

James Robinson III, 22, of Malden, and Jerome Kendall, 20, of Cape Girardeau, first warranted the attention of members of the Narcotics Enforcement Unit when an undercover investigator allegedly purchased $60 of crack cocaine from one of the suspects a few weeks ago.

Both men currently reside in the Cape Girardeau County Jail, facing a plethora of drug charges.

The next day officers arrested a man who was indicted by a grand jury in 1991 for delivery of marijuana in April 1990. The man, Jeffrey Mark Smith of Cape Girardeau, pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday at his arraignment in circuit court.

"We get our information from concerned citizens, fellow officers and confidential informants," said one of the officers. The members of the Narcotics Enforcement Unit rely on their anonymity as a tool in their work; therefore, their names cannot be made public in this report. "The amount of work we have to do is based solely on the information we receive."

The officers have had no problem keeping busy.

The unit was started May 17, after a proposal was submitted to Cape Girardeau Police Chief Howard Boyd Jr. by officers within his department. The proposal outlined a need the officers saw to have a full-time unit concentrate solely on information received daily by the police department concerning drug transactions in the community.

Since the county shared the city's desire to put a continuing pressure on drug trafficking in the area, each department assigned officers to the unit. Through the representation of both departments, the officers have jurisdiction throughout the county.

So now the officers work long hours using information gathered by their departments to do surveillance, chase leads, apply for search warrants and monitor drug transactions.

"We're everywhere," said one officer. "Wherever information leads us whether it be in Cape Girardeau, Jackson or somewhere in the county we will go and cultivate the information and work to build a case."

In the process of catching drug traffickers throughout the county, the unit has happened upon stolen cars and goods taken from homes and businesses in the area, as well as weapons carried by drug dealers.

"We've done three search warrants since we started, and we found weapons while executing two of them," an officer said. "Drugs and guns go together."

The unit will give priority to reports of drug traffickers who are known to carry weapons.

"That's especially true when the person is dealing crack cocaine," one of the officers said. "The violence which stems from the trafficking of crack cocaine or the potential for violence demands immediate attention.

"(The drug dealers) are a threat to the people they are dealing to, not to mention police officers who they may come across," he said.

The officers encourage people to call the Cape Girardeau Police Department or the Cape County Sheriff's Department with any information about suspicious or illegal activity.

"If our unit deters just one person from selling or using drugs, then we're happy," one member said. "Through our aggressive investigations of illegal activity in the area, we hope to curb drug trafficking; but it has to be done day by day, case by case.

"The best way to fight the drug problem is to educate the young people today to eliminate the demand of tomorrow," he said. "As long as there is a demand, we're going to be chasing the suppliers."

Members of the unit have attended specialized undercover "drug schools" at the Missouri Highway Patrol Academy in Jefferson City.

"We hope to be able to attend more training sessions in the future to enhance our ability to fight the war on drugs," an officer said. Also to aid in their battle, the officers hope to add more investigators to the unit in the near future.

Both Boyd and Cape County Sheriff Norman Copeland lauded the accomplishments of the new unit.

"We are very pleased with the results obtained with the Narcotics Enforcement Unit," Boyd said. "They have done well in a short period of time and have taken some significant violators off the streets.

"This unit works every day of the week at all hours," Boyd said. "They can respond quickly to reports of drug activity in the area."

Copeland concurred: "The success of this unit rests with the aggressive police officers who are self-motivated and show good common sense."