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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Sept. 22 , 2009
U.S. ATTORNEY’S GUARDIAN OF JUSTICE AWARD GOES TO SEDGWICK COUNTY SHERIFF’S DETECTIVE WHO LED PROBE OF ECSTASY DRUG RING
WICHITA, KAN. – Even on maternity leave, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Detective Karrina Brasser worked from home to help keep a major drug investigation on track.
Brasser will receive a Guardian of Justice award from U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch at a ceremony Wednesday when the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police holds its Fall Conference in Hutchinson.
“Karrina Brasser’s dedication and perseverance are what make her an outstanding law enforcement officer,” Welch said.
Brasser led an investigation that resulted in more than two dozen defendants being convicted on federal charges and overturned a drug trafficking operation that in 2006 and 2007 distributed more than 24,000 pills of methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as MDMA or Ecstasy. The investigation uncovered the drug organization’s operations in Texas, California, Missouri and Kansas.
Brasser started the investigation in 2005 and 2006 while she was working undercover with the Sheriff’s office. She began by making undercover buys from dealers at the low levels of the organization. After joining the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, she continued the investigation. As a result of her work with other investigators, two federal criminal cases were filed in January 2008 – US v. Du Le and US v. Nhon Lu – leading to the conviction of 27 defendants.
“She worked tirelessly and diligently on the case,” said Mona Furst, an Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the cases. “I would gladly work with her again.”
Also receiving a Guardian of Justice Award Wednesday will be Edward Walsh, senior bankruptcy analyst with the U.S. Trustee’s office. Walsh worked with Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hathaway and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney on the prosecution of Isaac Yass and Robert Blechman on charges of operating a scheme to prevent foreclosures by making fraudulent filings in federal bankruptcy court.
Guardian of Justice awards are given annually to federal and state or local law enforcement officers in recognition of outstanding service provided in the prosecution of significant cases by the United States Attorney’s office. The awards are the highest recognition given to a member of the law enforcement community by the United States Attorney’s office. Nominations for the awards come from prosecuting attorneys who worked with the nominees.
The Guardian award ceremony is scheduled for noon Wednesday in the Apollo Room at the Grand Prairie Hotel, 1400 N. Lorraine, in Hutchinson, Kan. The ceremony is open to the media. For more information, call Jim Cross, public information office, at (316) 269-6481.
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