Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie was also pleased with the announcement, saying in a news release that the network “will better assist our local law-enforcement agencies in the fight against the transportation of narcotics and marijuana through Clinton County.”

Another important result of the designation, Champagne said, is that a data analyst that will be added to the network to compile information on how certain criminal activities interconnect so prosecutors can dismantle them.

“We’re already seeing where a homicide in St. Lawrence County, one in Connecticut and two in Canada were directly related to drug activities taking place in Franklin County,” Champagne said.

“This is a very complex and very dangerous smuggling corridor we’re trying to eliminate with this type of coordination and resources.”

It was also critical to gain the designation, he said, so the operation can be self-sufficient and continue in the border region for years, no matter who is elected to the prosecutor’s office.

That way, Champagne said, there are no politics involved and the attention can remain on ending the smuggling of international currency, marijuana, cocaine and illegal aliens.

E-mail Denise A. Raymo at:

draymo@pressrepublican.com