NATCHEZ &8212; Hard work kept the Natchez-Adams County Metro Narcotics Unit in operation this year, Cliff Cox, commander of the unit, said.

In late September, the unit again received a federal grant that helps pay for a staff member. Two drug forces in the state closed recently because they did not receive funding, he said.

&8220;We are competing with bigger agencies all over the state,&8221; Cox said. &8220;It&8217;s a performance-based grant.&8221;

The metro unit is one of the smallest units in the state, Cox said.

A grant that funds even one person makes a big difference in a small unit like Adams County&8217;s, with only three officers, Cox said.

The federal grant pays for 75 percent of an agent, so the county only has to pay 25 percent, he said.

Metro got the grant this year because of the quality and number of cases they addressed, Cox said.

&8220;This year is the most cases we&8217;ve ever had from this unit in the past 10 years,&8221; he said. &8220;From January to the end of September, we&8217;ve had 200 cases. That&8217;s significant for a unit this size.&8221;

Last year&8217;s cases totaled 170, he said.

This year&8217;s grant helped staff the unit, and they will again be competing for next year&8217;s grant.

Competition will be stiff, because the grants will probably be cut back even further in the future, he said.

&8220;We could have easily lost that grant this year,&8221; Cox said.

But they didn&8217;t. In fact, Metro was recognized as one of the best units in the state, he said.

Along with surveillance of street-level drug deals, large-scale busts put the unit in a good position for grants, Cox said.

The Natchez-Adams County Metro Narcotics Unit has been in operation for at least 10 years, Cox said. It is operated through an inter-local agreement between the city and the county and includes both sheriff&8217;s deputies and Natchez Police officers. The unit is mostly funded by the city and county.