Drug Program Yields 38 Arrests in 2 Months : Crackdown: DEA agents team with county police in new federal effort that assists local law enforcement.

From seizing five kilos of cocaine being shipped out of Ojai to arresting a methamphetamine dealer in Santa Paula, a special program that paired federal agents with local police made 38 arrests over the past two months and promises more.

The crackdown was part of a coordinated effort between the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Paula and Port Hueneme police departments that ends today.

The DEA loaned about a dozen agents and thousands of dollars to Ventura County to put the squeeze on drug dealing.

It’s all part of a new DEA program designed to assist local law enforcement agencies around the nation in curbing drug traffic.

“What they essentially told us was, ‘We have the manpower and budget, what can we do for you?’ ” Oxnard Detective Tim Combs said.

“We help remove dealers from the streets, send them to prison and make the streets safer for the community. That’s our mission,” said Special Agent Bob Bender, who heads the DEA’s Los Angeles office.

San Luis Obispo County was the first Southern California recipient of the federal boost several months ago, which aided in the arrest of 81 drug dealers and violent offenders, Bender said.

Although San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties’ drug problems pale compared to those of Los Angeles, police officials agree they are still a concern and welcomed the DEA’s help.

“None of us have sufficient manpower or budgets to attack the county’s narcotic problems like they should be attacked,” Oxnard’s Combs said. “The DEA brought manpower and brought a budget. It was like manna from heaven.”

The DEA spent about $150,000--not including personnel costs--to give the county a hand, Bender said.

“They provided surveillance, technology and undercover agents never seen here before,” Santa Paula Police Chief Walt Adair said.

They also brought the kind of bait money for undercover operations that small police departments can rarely muster.

“The DEA can produce $100,000 at a moment’s notice for a drug buy,” Oxnard Sgt. Dan Christian said.

That kind of cash came in handy when police and the DEA bought five kilos of cocaine during a drug bust.

“The cities have limited funds,” Christian said. “We can’t always afford to move in those circles with multi-kilo dealers.”

But the DEA also helped the police target small-time dealers.

“We aimed for street-level narcotic sales, particularly dealers with a propensity toward violence,” Ventura Police Chief Richard Thomas said. “We targeted dealers selling dime bags and ounces.”

Although the DEA lent a hand for only two months, Bender said the agency’s agents could easily return.

“We’re like country music,” Bender said. “We’ll always be around. If the police chiefs ask us back, we’ll gladly return to help out.”