Drug dealers and manufacturers across the nation may be celebrating federal cuts that will significantly reduce or eliminate special drug task force units.

District Attorney Gene Haynes said the reduction of funding will impact the 12th District’s Drug Task Force that serves Rogers, Mayes and Craig counties.

Agents Denver Davenport and Roy Dowden serve the district by coordinating with local law enforcement to set up drug stings that have shut down local methamphetamine labs and drug distributors throughout the three-county area.

“Everybody helps each other,” said Haynes of the Task Force. “It’s not a definite set of guys. What we provide is that central thing they’re working through with Roy and Denver.”

Haynes said one of the advantages of the Task Force is that it can follow cases anywhere due to statewide jurisdiction. Other advantages include expertise, manpower, “buy money” and equipment.

“The 12th District Drug Task Force has been involved in approximately 38 possession of marijuana cases, 22 possessions of controlled dangerous substance (CDS) cases, 12 deliveries of CDS and four manufacturing of methamphetamine cases during 2007,” said Davenport. “These cases were filed in District Court. There are also other cases involving guns which were filed in Federal Court.”

According to information from the Oklahoma District Attorney’s Council Web site, 63 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties are covered by a drug task force. In 2008 Drug Task Forces received $1.2 million in funds from the Justice Assistance Grant. In 2007 DTFs and cooperating agencies were responsible for making 2,589 drug related arrests, seizing “35 pounds of cocaine, 1,869 pounds of marijuana, 4,961 marijuana plants, 69 pounds of methamphetamine, and 361 fire arms while executing arrests and search warrants.”

The DTFs are funded through federal Justice Assistance Grants (JAG), said Haynes. Though some were in existence around the state when he came into office, Rogers County did not have one at that time.

Haynes said he campaigned on the issue and applied for the grant.

“We got our first federal grant in 1991,” said Haynes. “Ever since then we have had a Drug Task Force.”

Dowden, a former police officer and agent from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics was the first investigator Haynes’ office hired.

“Roy would offer his assistance to the various law enforcement agencies in the district,” said Haynes.

An important aspect in addition to the multi-jurisdictional authorization of the DTF is the ability to supply “confidential buy money,” said Haynes.

Though the Rogers County Sheriff’s Department and Claremore are large enough to work cases on their own, most departments “really don’t have enough officers to specialize in drug cases,” said Haynes. “A lot of departments didn’t have any money to make drug buys.”