Pubdate: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 2001 The Orange County Register Contact: http://www.ocregister.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321 Author: Karen Gullo, The Associated Press FEDERAL DRUG-TRAFFICKING CHARGES UP Study: Ashcroft says tough laws are making a difference in taking serious criminals off streets. WASHINGTON More than 30,000 people were charged with federal drug offenses in 1999, more than double the number 15 years earlier, and most of those convicted were drug traffickers, a Justice Department study says. Attorney General John Ashcroft said the report shows federal drug laws are succeeding in catching the serious criminals and keeping them behind bars longer. One crime expert disputed that, saying only a fraction of traffickers are being arrested. The study released Sunday by the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics found only 4 percent of drug criminals were convicted of simple possession. Ninety-one percent were convicted of trafficking. It also found drug offenders are serving longer sentences. The average prison stay rose to 51/2 years in 1999 from 21/2 years in 1986. The longer prison terms are the result of federal laws passed over the past two decades that require mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes, researchers said. "Tougher federal drug laws are making a real difference in clearing major drug offenders from our nation's streets," Ashcroft said. "Federal drug offenders are predominantly hard-core criminals with prior arrest records who are convicted for drug trafficking, not first-time, nonviolent offenders charged with drug possession." The report showed that 30,099 defendants were charged with a federal drug offense in 1999, the most recent year for which data was available. In 1984, 11,854 were charged with drug crimes. James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University, said while the jump reflects the government's increased drug-fighting efforts, prosecutors are only getting the tip of the iceberg. "We are devoting a tremendous amount of money and resources to this relentless war on drugs, which is not winnable" he said. Almost half of those charged with drug offenses in the period studied were Hispanic, 28 percent were black and 25 percent were non-Hispanic white. John Scalia, the report's author, said the Hispanic count was high because many cases involved drug smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border. "A lot of cases prosecuted by U.S. attorneys involve importation, especially of marijuana," Scalia said. About one-fourth of defendants were not U.S. citizens. Other findings in the report: About half of defendants had a previous conviction and one-third were under justice supervision when they were arrested. More than 25,000 defendants were convicted. Almost half had no prior convictions. Nearly one-third were involved with marijuana, 42 percent with powder or crack cocaine and 13 percent with methamphetamine. Most were subject to mandatory minimum prison sentences. But about 21 percent of convicted drug criminals received a reduced sentence under a 1994 law exempting many first-time, nonviolent drug offenders from mandatory sentences. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh