By Sarah Schulz
sarah.schulz@theindependent.com

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Independent/Barrett Stinson State trooper George Scott (left) talks to the driver of a truck who ran a stop sign at an off-ramp after pulling off Interstate 80 twice to try and avoid him. The driver, it turns out, was nervous because he was on his way to turn himself in to the Buffalo County jail for a DUI conviction. Close attention to suspicious motorists and an intimate knowledge of traffic laws can and does lead to drug seizures for state troopers during traffic stops on the interstate. Independent/Barrett Stinson While in pursuit of a speeder on Interstate 80, state trooper George Scott reaches up to turn on his in-car video and audio recorder. Click Thumbnails to View

Trooper George Scott of the Nebraska State Patrol pulled just such a driver over on Thursday. As it turns out, the man was on his way to Kearney to turn himself in at the Buffalo County Jail.

Scott stopped the man for running a stop sign at an Interstate 80 off-ramp.

That lack of attention to other motorists and to traffic laws sometimes leads to drug seizures along the interstate.

Troopers who stop people for violations, such as speeding or not having valid license plates, try to develop "indicators" during conversations with the people in the vehicle. They ask where they've been, where they're from and where they're going.

State Patrol Lt. Jon Kraai said troopers watch for things that don't match up, such as different stories among the vehicle's occupants.

It could very well be chalked up to nerves, but it could also be something more. Someone could have a warrant for his arrest, he could be driving without a license, or the motorist could be involved in illegal activity, Kraai said.

Scott said training and experience play a large part in a trooper's ability to recognize signs that something illegal is going on. Then there are times when suspicions are raised immediately.

Making the bust

One night in 1993, Scott stopped behind a minivan parked on the shoulder of the road. One of the passengers was urinating in the ditch, which Scott thought was strange considering the van had just passed a rest stop.

He remembered seeing a training video about alterations drug "mules" had made to another van of the same make and model, and he could see those alterations had been made.

After receiving permission to search the van, Scott found 385 pounds of cocaine worth about $15 million. He and another trooper then helped with a controlled delivery of the drugs in New York City.

"I could go on and on with stories," he said.

He believes troopers started getting more aggressive with drug interdiction in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

"I think the drugs were always here, but the training got better," he said.

Scott added that the State Patrol has one of the top drug interdiction instructors in the United States in fellow trooper Greg Goltz and, at one time, had two of the most talented drug dogs in the country as well.

The number of stops and the amount of drugs found is cyclical, said Maj. Russ Stanczyk, who heads the patrol's field services division. One person with a large amount of marijuana can change the statistics. So far this year, there have been a number of stops involving smaller drug amounts, he said.

A recent example occurred on Feb. 29. A stop for a traffic violation in Hamilton County led to the seizure of 3 1/2 pounds of cocaine. According to a press release from the State Patrol, a trooper stopped a car, got consent to search the vehicle and found the cocaine in the passenger-side air bag. The 39-year-old driver was arrested.

That amount is part of the 122 pounds of cocaine seized by the State Patrol from Jan. 1 to March 7. In addition, troopers have seized 1,319 pounds of marijuana during the same time period, Stanczyk said.

The drugs were found during 24 separate stops. That compares to last year, when 2,689 pounds of marijuana, worth $2.7 million, and 7.6 pounds of cocaine were seized during the same time period, he said.

Drug runners

There is no true profile of a drug courier. People of both genders, all ages and all races have been caught with drugs on the interstate, Scott said.

"Early on, my eyes were opened," he said. "Nothing surprises me anymore. Anyone from any walk of life can be out here with drugs."

Stanczyk said he doubts the couriers who are stopped in Nebraska are on their first run. Many of them travel across the country hauling drugs more than once. They tend to get road weary during the numerous trips and may get less attentive as they travel, he said. That's when they slip up and violate a traffic law.

It's those slips the troopers are watching for.

"We're taught to watch for what a reasonable person would do," he said. "Is it reasonable to pull off the interstate when you see an officer and then get back on? Probably not."

Over the last several months, the State Patrol has put out a number of press releases touting the seizures troopers have made. Stanczyk said the media blitz has two purposes he wants to commend the troopers for their hard work, and he wants people to know the troopers are tough on traffic violations.

"We have some good troopers here," Kraai said.

Last year, troopers working in Troop C which spans from York to Kearney to Burwell and the Kansas state line made 2,000 to 3,000 stops a month on average, he said.

Many of those stops are for traffic violations, such as speeding, driving too close to another vehicle or crossing the center line. The stops can lead to other violations but also go toward the State Patrol's goal of only one fatality per 100,000 miles driven, Kraai said.

"Our primary function is traffic safety," Stanczyk said.

At the same time, the patrol wants troopers to be aware of other violations while enforcing traffic laws. They are trained on how to detect if drugs might be present.

"Then we get double bang for our buck," he said.