CHP Is Using Q&A; to Find Hidden Drugs

On any given day there are probably dope dealers and “mules” driving narcotics out of the Los Angeles metropolitan area to other cities--and increasingly, the California Highway Patrol is on the lookout for them.

“We do know a substantial amount of [narcotics] are being transported over our interstate highway system,” said Sgt. Ernie Garcia, of the California Highway Patrol, adding that the agency in the last few years has increased training for officers and built its drug-sniffing dog roster to 27.

In 1994--the last year for which the CHP has statistics--officers making traffic stops seized 3,641 pounds of cocaine, 335 pounds of methamphetamines, 8,072 pounds of marijuana, 3,317 pounds of LSD, seven pounds of heroin and about one pound of PCP.

But because CHP officers are keeping an eye out for drug transporters, motorists pulled over for minor violations may end up answering questions that go beyond the usual “license and registration, please.”

“Ninety-nine percent of the time a traffic stop turns up a decent person,” said Officer Sean McEnulty, who patrols the Golden State Freeway near the Los Angeles and Kern County line. “But there’s a chance when you pull someone over, they’re guilty of a bigger crime.”

Officers rarely stop a car because they suspect the driver is carrying drugs, but rather develop suspicions after routine traffic stops, he said.

The CHP won’t disclose all the factors that can trigger a drug search, because they don’t want drug traffickers to know them, but two at the very least are visible weapons or drugs, and vehicles that appear to have reassembled bodywork or other parts.

McEnulty recalled the arrest of a trafficker who had smuggled for years all over the United States, had gotten pulled over about 40 times, had his truck searched--but escaped each time with a minor traffic ticket.

The man later admitted he knew he had met his match when one officer inspected his truck, walked back to the patrol car and returned with a screwdriver to take a closer look at the truck’s tailgate.

Officers say they use no profile to identify drug-carrying drivers or cars. Those arrested include both sexes over a wide range of ages and ethnic backgrounds, including “typical grandparents,” driving vehicles from a rusty Volkswagen van to a new Mercedes-Benz, McEnulty said.

A driver will typically be stopped for a relatively minor violation. But once the vehicle is pulled over, officers keep an eye out for more serious crimes. If they see anything “out of the ordinary,” the officer will probably ask the driver if the car contains weapons or narcotics.

McEnulty said an officer who believes a car may be carrying narcotics will ask the driver for permission to search it.

If the driver declines the officer may search it anyway if he or she believes “probable cause” warrants the action, according to authorities.

Officers like McEnulty, whose partner is one of the agency’s canines, have the advantage of using their dogs’ reaction as probable cause, he said. The dogs will often react to the presence of drugs merely by standing near the vehicle.

Those stopped for minor traffic offenses are often offended when officers ask about weapons or narcotics--but they shouldn’t be, McEnulty said. Drivers have the advantage of knowing they are not criminals but officers go into the situation completely blind, he noted.

“It’s not written on their forehead ‘good guy’ or ‘bad guy,’ ” McEnulty said. “If that was the case, it would make the job a lot easier for us.”