Attracted by drug prices as much as four times greater than in the Twin Cities, dealers from Minneapolis and Chicago saw the Duluth area as easy pickings.
Police knew they needed help, so in 2002, local cops and federal investigators forged what many consider a model partnership to take down the dealers and their drug rings. Since then, more than 200 criminals have been prosecuted federally, with many given lengthy prison sentences.
On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones honored Special Agent Darin Nemerow of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for being a key player in the fight against the trafficking of drugs and guns in northeastern Minnesota. Nemerow received the U.S. Attorney's Office Law Enforcement Recognition Award.
Chris Wilton, the assistant U.S. attorney who has worked with Nemerow and his partners, said: "Darin is not a one-hit wonder. Darin does it year-in and year-out."
Duluth officers Rod Wilson and Mike Erickson said that partnering with Nemerow and Wilton has helped them disrupt what had been major drug operations in ways that attacking the problem through state courts couldn't. Using federal statutes to go after dozens of offenders as co-conspirators allowed for more intensive investigations of bigger dealers and heftier prison sentences.
Added Erickson: "A whole ring is gone. We have a good team with the U.S. attorney's office and the ATF."
Nemerow on Tuesday was quick to credit the Duluth cops for teaching him what he calls the key to good police work -- learning how to interview people and get valuable information, he said.
"Really, it's the most important thing," Nemerow said.
