Special Award of Honor from the International Narcotic Enforcement Officer Association

November 2006 

Dennis Kintigh
Special Agent
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Las Cruces, New Mexico

 

Special Agent Steve Woodson and Special Agent Dennis Kintigh are awarded the Association's SPECIAL AWARD OF HONOR for their outstanding performance in drug law enforcement.

These two agents have demonstrated extraordinary ability to place duty to the case above the interests of their individual professional accomplishments or of their particular organizations. In so doing, they have achieved great success in the investigation and presecution of complex narcotics cases.

The professionalism and teamwork of Special Agents Steve Woodson of DEA and Dennis Kintigh of FBI resulted in the successful prosecution of the case of United States v. Orosco, et. al. The cooperation between SAs Woodson and Kintigh inspired inter-agency cooperation that expanded to include officers of the Artesia Police Department, Brinkley, Arkansas Police Department, the Chaves County Drug Task Force, the Lea County Drug Task Force, and the New Mexico State Police and additional agents of the DEA and FBI. The investigation coordinated by SAs Woodson and Kintigh included a five-day multi-county surveillance, execution of several search warrants and extensive investigation and pretrial preparation. These efforts resulted in guilty pleas to the indictment by three defendants and in the conviction at trial of the remaining defendant.

A second case developed through the joint efforts of these agenst is a large methamphetamine distribution conspiracy currently pending indictment. The investigation thus far has included two wiretaps and the execution of numerous search warrants at locations in Roswell, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs and Pomona, California. At least thrity targets have been identified, of whom approximately twenty are expected to be indicted. Agents of the New Mexico State Police, the Chaves County Drug Task Force and Artesia Police Department have also participated in the investigation. Several "spin-off" cases have arisen, one of which has already yielded the purchase of substantial quantities of heroin and methampetamine.

Nomination submitted by Julie J. Shemitz, Trial Attorney and Kelly H. Burnham, Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office, Las Cruces, New Mexico.