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War on drugs
The announcement that Rappahannock County has joined in a regional task force to combat drugs is welcome news.
While many residents may feel that our rural location leaves us immune to the scourge now ravaging Washington, D.C., Richmond and other nearby cities and towns, most law enforcement officials with knowledge of the area’s drug trade say that increased enforcement in the more urban areas has driven the dealers into the countryside.
Evidence of that movement may be found in the recent surge of drug arrests in Culpeper and Fauquier counties. With limited manpower and resources, local police and sheriffs departments cannot hope to match the money spent by drug distributors in the area.
But the combined efforts of neighboring jurisdictions, which can pool manpower, money and other resources, may help stem the flow of drugs through our region. Witness the recent seizure of 17 pounds of marijuana in Culpeper — the first such bust by the newly-formed task force.
There is little evidence of drug activity in Rappahannock County, but as Commonwealth’s Attorney Peter Luke pointed out, appearances can be deceiving. In a close-knit community like ours, such activity would be quickly noticed.
But the drugs of choice these days: cocaine, crack and “ice,” are not so bulky that substantial quantities can’t be concealed in ordinary vehicles which would not arouse suspicion traveling our back roads. It is possible, Mr. Luke suggested, that although retail drug sales are rare, there could be major distribution or shipment operations going on in the county. There is a history of such activity in the nottoo-distant past.
Mr. Luke, by his acknowledgement that there are apparently on-going investigations in this area, has given fair warning. The users and distributors of illegal drugs will be pursued and prosecuted, and the new regional drug task force is merely the newest weapon in the Commonwealth’s arsenal.
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