Cops on the Job

As is often the case, it’s the officers who work while we sleep who are able to catch up with the drug traffickers. In this case, 13 ounces of powdered cocaine was found inside of a hidden compartment in a vehicle driven by Eric J. Burch, a 33 year old man visiting from Texas. It might not sound like a lot of cocaine, but the street value is about $40,000.

The bust came when agent from the Caddo-Sheveport Narcotics Unit teamed together with some help from the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office K-9. As part of an ongoing investigation they contacted Mr. Burch at a local restaurant. This package of cocaine is now off the market, and so is Burch, who was arrested and is in the Shreveport City Jail.

The Date: May 20, 2011:The Time: Evening.

The USA State Department had offered a $5 million reward for the capture of Gilberto Barragan Balderas, who is a member of the Gulf Cartel. Someone alerted the police in Mexico City that Balderas was planning to attend a Friday night party, and they apprehended him.

What does this mean for Louisiana? Well, Balderas was one of the leaders of a very powerful drug dealing group, bringing the drugs in over the border from Tamaulipas, Mexico into Texas. From Texas, drugs were distributed and sent to other “hub” states, with Louisiana being the connection towards the east. So, a drug bust of someone so powerful, even when made down in Mexico, helps us out as well.

It is so encouraging to see that after months of investigation, police officials are able to get the dealers and the drugs off of the streets. It is also encouraging to see departments working together and using all of the available “tools” including drug-sniffing dogs. And while it does give one pause to think about the USA offering so much money as a reward for the kingpins of crime, it does seem to bring results. Hopefully the money that goes towards it is money that has been confiscated in raids, anyway.