Many fans were shocked when international swimsuit model Simone Farrow was arrested last month on drug charges. Reports that came out after the arrest indicated that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) had been monitoring her mail for years. This is not the first drug crimes accusation for the model, which means that penalties for a conviction could be more severe this time.

She was also implicated in a 2009 methamphetamines investigation and was arrested in both the United States and Australia at that time. Law enforcement officers have been increasingly focused on methamphetamines in recent years as small scale production and explosive accidents in the manufacturing process have become more prevalent.

Authorities have accused her of being on the run since the 2009 arrest. However, Ms. Farrow denies that she was evading law enforcement, telling police recently that her arrest may have made her a target for some dangerous acquaintances she has.

"I've been in ... relationships with numerous underworld figures or whatever you want to call them and I feel that maybe they feel threatened by my situation... I was trying to protect myself from being killed or harmed."

The present charges seem to be in Australia, rather than the United States. Although Farrow's public arrest and her concerns about personal safety raises questions about the DEA's sensitivity to these situations. Fear of retaliation is common in drug cases where authorities arrest a lower level person or acquaintance of those who have previously been involved with moving narcotics. Some say that police could be doing more to protect suspects during the ongoing investigation so that they are not put at risk.

Source: The Los Angeles Times, "Bikini-clad drug kingpin, or much ado about little?" Matt Stevens, March 20, 2012.