DEA Chief: Drug Trade Will Worsen : Crime: New Santa Ana director says the violence once linked to Miami could explode here, and that more resources and greater cooperation among agencies are needed.

Far from being controlled, the drug trade in Orange County will continue to grow, as well as the menacing violence associated with it, according to the top federal narcotics officer in the county.

Simeon R. Greene, new head of the Drug Enforcement Administration office in Santa Ana, said in an interview that more resources and greater cooperation among law enforcement agencies are needed to stem the escalating flow of illegal drugs.

“We’re pretty sure this is going to be the Miami, Fla., of the ‘70s,” Green said, referring to the notorious period when that city was racked by deadly and open competition among drug dealers.

“I don’t want to make an unnecessary prediction, but you have to look at the amount of seizures, the tons” of drugs seized each year, Greene said. “I think we should gear up and prepare for that.”

The mass killing that surrounds the drug trade elsewhere is beginning to show up in Orange County, said Greene, citing a drug-related shootout in Santa Ana in late July which left three men dead and one wounded.

Greene, who has been with the federal narcotics agency for 20 years and who helped nab one of Los Angeles’ biggest drug lords, said drug dealers should understand that the DEA here aims to “annihilate the flow of drugs in this county.”

Two things are necessary to accomplish that, according to Greene:

* More agents are needed. Greene said his office, with 21 agents, should double in size during the next two years.

“I think we need to relocate resources to the area they are needed,” said Greene, “and I think this is the area.”

* Greater cooperation among law enforcement agencies is needed.

Greene said his agency needs to work more closely with the Regional Narcotics Suppression Program in Orange County, a coalition of narcotics officers from each police department, the Sheriff’s Department and a collection of state and federal narcotics agencies.

“With (the narcotics suppression program) we do expect to enhance our relationship in our efforts to fight the surge of drugs in Orange County,” Greene said.

Greene credits agents in the county task force with already laying much of the groundwork for several major arrests in past years.

Drug traders have been attracted to Orange County due to several factors, including its wealthy population, proximity to the Mexican border and nearness to several international airports, Greene said.

Orange County and Southern California in general, meanwhile, have seen an increase in drug traffic as a result of stepped-up law enforcement in Florida since the mid-’80s, Greene said.

Colombian drug kings have entered into distribution deals with Southern California drug traffickers, increasing their ability to move large quantities of drugs, such as cocaine and tar heroin, north of the border, according to Greene.

Since his appointment to the post of top federal drug agent in the county, Greene has met with local police chiefs, spreading the word that cooperation among agencies is the only way to get the upper hand in their battle against drugs.

A Georgia native, Greene began his career with the Los Angeles Police Department in 1969. After three years he transferred to the DEA, working in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Washington and overseas on assignments.

Greene still glows when discussing what he calls the highlight of his career: the 1983 arrest of Thomas (Tootie) Reese in a Marina del Rey hotel. Reese, who was the target of narcotics investigators for more than a decade, was subsequently sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for selling cocaine and heroin.