Interstate 20 isn't just a popular route for regional commuters or those going on vacation.

Federal and local law enforcement officials say it's a preferred east-west drive for narcotics traffickers.

"It's a major drug pipeline," Chuvalo J. Truesdell, a federal Drug Enforcement Administration special agent and spokesman, said of the interstate, which runs from South Carolina to Texas. "You just happen to be a little far down on the end of 20, but still you're accessible."

Special Agent Truesdell said each month there are one or two drug seizures on I-20 in the Augusta area large enough to involve his agency.

Agents mostly find cocaine, methamphetamine or marijuana, he said. Sometimes the traffickers are headed to stops in the Carolinas, but some make local deliveries.

Lt. Todd Dent, of the Taliaferro County Sheriff's Office, said he sees drugs and drug money being transported along I-20 on a frequent basis, with some motorists serving as "mules" to take drugs to a drop-off spot and others carrying the drugs back home for their own use.

"I've stopped college professors. I've stopped teachers, preachers," Lt. Dent said. "You'd be amazed who's out there trying to get extra money or living a second life."

He said at any given time you could quickly find someone transporting drugs on the interstate.

"I promise you, 24/7, it's never stopping," he said.

Lt. Dent and Special Agent Truesdell said many of the drugs coming through the Augusta area on I-20 are associated with Atlanta.

"It used to be that some of the cases would filter drugs up from (Interstate) 75 going from Miami ... to Atlanta," Special Agent Truesdell said.

But now, "that's changed simply because Atlanta seems to be ... the big hub for all of the major drugs."

Atlanta was recently named on a list of 27 top drug trafficking markets in the nation, according to a July 2007 analysis by the U.S. Department of Justice's National Drug Intelligence Center.

That study's findings say Atlanta has become the main destination in the eastern United States for illegal drugs being sent by Mexican drug traffickers.

According to the same study, officials believe drug traffickers relocated to Georgia, Texas and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina caused many of them to move.

Special Agent Truesdell said there's a good rule of thumb to determine where the drugs are and where the money is along the interstate.

Heading east, he said, are most likely shipments of drugs leaving Atlanta to other destinations.

"And then when you're heading back west, after the transaction occurs, they (authorities) know mostly that they'll probably find money ... because, of course, they have to get the money back to Atlanta," he said.

The larger picture of interstate drug trafficking is often hard to see, officials say, because many arrests occur at random traffic stops in smaller, more rural jurisdictions.

"I imagine there's a lot going on that we don't catch and can't catch," said Warren County sheriff's Deputy Michael Lynn.

He said he sees one to two drug cases each month on the interstate, and it seems such cases are increasing.

Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris said interstate narcotic traffickers can be clever.

"It is not uncommon for drug transporters to intermingle drugs among legitimate goods such as produce and furniture when transporting drugs in commercial vehicles," he said.

Drug activity on I-20 has been seen in Richmond County, where officers recently conducted a number of drug interdictions.

"We seized several thousand dollars and a fairly large amount of drugs," said Richmond County sheriff's Maj. Ken Autry.

He said the department plans more concentrated stings in the future.

The South Carolina side of the interstate is no exception.

"We've got a pretty good bit of hits coming from the Atlanta area to South Carolina or through South Carolina," said Capt. Kenny Lancaster of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 868-1222, ext. 115, or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.