Narcotics Division

In April 2004, Officer Ricky Shourd was promoted from the rank of Sergeant to Lieutenant, and assigned to the Searcy Police Department Narcotics Division. The Narcotics Division consists of one Lieutenant, one Corporal Investigator, and one undercover Investigator. All Narcotics officers work in plainclothes.

Searcy Narcotics worked 82 cases in the year 2004 with 2 investigators working on the cases, putting 41 cases for each investigator.

One of the most notable trends of 2004 is a distinct shift away from standard methamphetamine as the recreational drug of choice to a purer form of meth called ice. The well-known kind of methamphetamine that is actually cooked in a person’s home, from crude ‘red phosphorus’ labs, is being replaced by a new form of meth which is called ice. Ice is more addictive due to its greater level of purity. Just for an example, where your regular meth averages as 40% or 45% pure, the new “ice” meth varies between 80% to 90% pure narcotic. The Ice being seized by Searcy Narcotics officers is not being manufactured here in Arkansas, but rather it is being trafficked from California and Eastern Texas into Arkansas.

Another significant trend in local narcotics law enforcement is a major comeback of marijuana. Over the past few years, marijuana has slowly faded in popularity. But in the last 9 months of 2004, Searcy Narcotics officers have observed a significant increase in local marijuana sales and usage. In the course of Searcy Narcotics Division’s 2004 operations, marijuana ‘controlled buys’ by undercover officers have risen dramatically. As with the meth transition from “home-cooked” to the stronger “ice”, the marijuana being sold in Searcy is more often compressed, which tells us that it is being shipped in from out of state, rather than coming from local growers.

Also this year, the Searcy Narcotics Division has observed an increase in illicit prescription drug abuse among younger users. Xanax, a prescription pain killer, has become extremely popular with the younger generation ranging in age from late teens to mid-twenties. A cancer-related prescription pain relieving drug called Oxycontin has also become more common among this same younger-user set. It’s a legal prescription narcotic in a tablet form that functions as a time-released pain killer. The kids illicitly buy the Oxycontin in pill form, and then crush it in order to snort it or shoot it up intravenously. This is a very, very dangerous drug and can be lethal and even fatal.

Despite the immense challenges that the Narcotics Division is coping with on a daily basis, it has successfully managed to slightly increase the caseload of active investigations, run an undercover apartment for six months, and address the public safety concerns and sexual indecency related complaints at Riverside Park through an ongoing undercover operation in 2004.