Cleveland Plain Dealer...
Ohio State Patrol sees major spike in drug seizures this year  
November 27, 2011 

Trooper Michael Trader spends his days driving the Ohio Turnpike, talking to his 3-year-old partner and searching out the most elusive of travelers: 

The drug mule. 

The work can be numbing, as Trader and his police canine, Argo, seek to outsmart smugglers who have studied the cat-and-mouse game in an attempt to stoke a multibillion-dollar criminal enterprise. As drugs flood Ohio, mules -- the slang for couriers hauling cocaine and marijuana -- have turned roadways into high-stakes pipelines. 

But this year, the work by Trader and other Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers have stanched some of the flow, as they reeled in large-scale drug seizures. 

Troopers have seized 335 kilos of cocaine on Ohio roads from January through October, a steep jump of 661 percent over the 44 kilos seized at the same time last year. Troopers also seized 814 kilos of marijuana from January through October, an increase of 106 percent over the 395 kilos seized at the same time in 2010. 

The stops have been wide-ranging: Troopers found 148 kilos of cocaine in a hidden compartment of a motor home in Maumee. They stopped a taxi cab loaded with heroin and Ecstacy in Marion. And they found high-grade marijuana in Lorain County and pot-laced Rice Krispies in Boardman. 

“The numbers are at unprecedented levels for us,” said Colonel John Born of the State Highway Patrol. “And we believe that 2012 could be even more successful.” 

The reason? 

In January, Born became the patrol’s leader. He said he has stressed greater training and emphasized to the patrol’s 1,450-some troopers to pay as much attention to drug hauls and other crimes as highway safety. His goals are simple: He said he wants to reduce the number of people killed on Ohio’s roadways while also slashing “the elements that degrade the quality of life in our communities.” 

And that’s where Trader comes in. 

There are about two dozen troopers across the state who travel with a dog. They do everything troopers in patrol cars do, but their work takes off when officers find probable cause to search vehicles. 

Trader has Argo, a Belgium Malinois, a sleek, muscular dog that can be exceedingly calm or overly excited, depending on the situation. Trader can drive for miles without hearing a whimper. Once he touches his seat belt to get out, the dog begins a high-squeal bark and runs in circles in a back corner of the Chevy Tahoe they share as an office on the road. 

“He’s telling me, ‘I’m ready to work. Don’t leave me here,’ “ Trader said. 

Once Trader returns to the vehicle, the dog’s howls end. 

Earlier this month, Trader sat along the Ohio Turnpike in western Lorain County. He noticed things so small most people would miss -- the fidgeting driver who followed too close to the car in front, the Minnesota trucker whose 18-wheeler lacked a mud flap and the hunter who needed a visible license plate. 

Born has emphasized that troopers “look beyond the traffic stop,” meaning to see the way drivers react during stops. Do they sweat excessively, panic over the simplest statements? Once such indicators are noticed, troopers can bring canines in to see if the animals notice something peculiar. 

“When you’re carrying 150 kilos, there are going to be times when you make mistakes,” Born said. 

In a recent stop, Trader pulled over a car in the eastbound lane of the Turnpike in Lorain County. He asked the driver from where he departed. 

“Cleveland,” the driver said, a remark that set off a flare of suspicion. The trooper later found pills in the man’s car. 

“We encourage troopers to take more time to look for criminal indicators,” said Lt. Anne Ralston. 

Take one of the largest stops on the Turnpike this year: In September, troopers stopped a 1999 motor home for a lane violation. A patrol dog alerted officers to something inside the vehicle. Troopers found 148 kilos of cocaine in a steel compartment in the floor of the motor home. 

But for every stop in which troopers find drugs, there are scores of drug mules who cruise away. 

Testimony in federal court in Cleveland and interviews with lawyers indicate that major drug dealers have long studied the detailed habits of police. To fight that, critics charge, police have turned to profiling, or using stereotypes, to make major arrests. 

The State Highway Patrol reviews dash-cam videos, reports of stops and car-computer information to insure unbiased stops. Born said officers who rely on stereotypes are hardly successful, as drug organizations have become sophisticated enough to find couriers who do not match those profiles. 

In his Chevy Tahoe, Trader scans every vehicle as it passes him on the Turnpike. He notices the number of mobile homes, car carriers and trucks carrying livestock. He fidgets when things slow down, and he often opens a small hatch to pet the canine. 

After a while, Trader heads for a Turnpike rest stop to take Argo for a walk. 

“It’s like living with a 4-year-old,” Trader said. “We have to stop for a break every hour.” 

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