|
|
DEA
Mobile Enforcement Team and Local Police
JUL 2--In 2003, law enforcement authorities in the Mt. Pleasant, Michigan area noticed a disturbing rise in the amount of crack cocaine being seized and consumed in the area. In an effort to attack this problem, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Police Department requested that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) deploy their Mobile Enforcement Team (MET) to Mt. Pleasant. The DEA Mobile Enforcement Teams are located throughout the United States in DEA’s 21 Field Division Offices. Their role is to respond to areas throughout their area of responsibility suffering from significant drug and violence from organized drug gangs. These teams concentrate most of their efforts in rural and smaller urban areas which often don’t have the law enforcement resources to combat these gangs. In November 2003, a joint DEA Task Force was established which identified Shawn Brooks of Detroit as the leader of a large-scale crack cocaine distribution network. Brooks’ organization, which had operated for years, purchased crack in Detroit and drove it to the Mt. Pleasant area using rental vehicles. Members of the Brooks organization would then rent local hotel rooms or take over local residences to distribute their crack. Exploiting the supply and demand of the area, Brooks’ group could actually sell “rocks” of crack that sold for $20 in Detroit for up to $100 in the Mt. Pleasant area. Brooks’ organization brought additional crime and personal misery to an area that had never suffered such local devastation before. On June 24, 2004, members of the DEA and law enforcement throughout the Mt. Pleasant area announced the culmination of the Shawn Brooks organization investigation. This law enforcement operation resulted in the federal indictment of Shawn Brooks and seven of his co-conspirators for federal narcotics violations. An additional 21 individuals have been charged with state felony violations relating to drug charges. This investigation demonstrated the effectiveness that law enforcement can accomplish when federal, state and local law enforcement agencies coordinate resources and intelligence. The investigation could not have concluded successfully without the dedication and commitment of the:
|
