Franklin County Drug Task Force Keeps Fighting
MALONE - With more space and more equipment, the Franklin County Border and Narcotics Task Force will continue to combat drug trafficking across the Canadian border into the county and the rest of the state.
The force recently moved into a new location - which cannot be disclosed for security reasons - and Franklin County District Attorney Derek P. Champagne said the upgrade will aid the constant battle.
Mr. Champagne pointed to the extensive border Franklin County shares with Canada - and seven unmanned border-crossing roads - as the reason the county is such a hotbed for drug smuggling activity.
"Our area is responsible for $1 billion in marijuana per year," he said.
It is a typical thing, he said, for officials to seize several hundred pounds in one day because of "unfettered access" due to the unmanned crossings.
Some of the roads, Mr. Champagne noted, cross over water while remaining in Canada before traveling by land into the United States.
A challenge with combating drug traffic, Mr. Champagne noted, is at least four different jurisdictions comprise the border area where the bulk of smuggling activity takes place. Law enforcement departments from Ontario, Quebec, St. Lawrence County and Franklin County all cover areas that contain border crossings, and Mr. Champagne said that makes cohesion difficult.
"We end up with so many jurisdictions," he said.
Mr. Champagne said the task force and its headquarters were created specifically to facilitate communication and enforcement among the different departments so they can work together more easily.
Officials from Border Patrol, New York State Police, the District Attorney's Office, New York Army National Guard, local police departments and other agencies are permanently assigned to the building, he said.
A couple of state agencies in particular have helped give the local task force a boost, he added.
"The state police have allocated a tremendous amount of resources," he said. "The state police and DEA are doing a phenomenal job."
One piece of equipment includes a camera that can be operated remotely from up to 20 miles away to monitor activity at some of the unmanned border crossings.
Mr. Champagne gave a tour of the facility to current Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan, the Republican candidate for state attorney general.
"This is clearly something where the Attorney General's Office has jurisdiction," Mr. Champagne said of cross-border drug trafficking.
Mr. Donovan stressed the importance of focusing on the Canadian border to fight crime and said it would his concern if elected in November.
"When they worry about terrorism in New York City, they need to worry about terrorism on the northern border," he said.
