More federal drug cases being filed in Arizona

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 6:51 am

The number of federal drug cases filed in Arizona this year are on pace to double the number of cases filed in 2008, but U.S. prosecutors say the increase reflects a change in funding and policies rather than a rise in drug trafficking.

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which monitors federal law-enforcement programs, says narcotics cases in Arizona have surged by an estimated 202 percent so far this year compared with a similar period 16 months earlier.

The increase contracts with a projected 17 percent decline in drug prosecutions nationwide during that same span.

Wyn Hornbuckle, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix, says the increase began last year as a result of increased funds and staffing at offices in Tucson and Phoenix.
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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com

http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-reg ... 16ee9.html