Pubdate: Sun, 02 Sep 2001
Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA)
Copyright: 2001 Richmond Newspapers Inc.
Contact:  http://www.timesdispatch.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/365
Author: Jim Mason, Times-Dispatch Staff Writer

POLICE TARGET EAST END

They Charge Dozens Of Suspected Dealers

It took five months, up to $10,000 for "hot spot" buys and 15 Richmond 
police officers working undercover.

Their target: street-level drug dealers all across Richmond's East End.

But by the time they wrapped up Operation Street Vendor with a round-up of 
suspected drug dealers, police officials say, all that time, money and 
manpower had paid off.

Richmond police Major Frederic M. "Rick" Hicks, who supervised the 
five-month investigation, ticked off the results:

a.. 28 suspected drug dealers had been arrested, and police were looking 
for 15 more as of Friday. a.. Police seized crack cocaine, marijuana and 
heroin, but no guns. "We arrested people for selling drugs at 21 different 
locations," Hicks said. "I think we've relieved these East End communities 
of drug dealing."

Hicks said this kind of investigation can be expensive. "It takes money to 
buy drugs," he said. He estimated the five-month probe, not counting the 
officers' pay, cost $7,000 to $10,000.

"Citizen complaints and our own intelligence and surveillance" prompted the 
investi-gation, Hicks said.

"We were definitely responding to the complaints of the community," said 
Lt. Charles Sipple, officer in charge of the police department's narcotics 
squad.

A Montrose Heights resident, who requested anonymity, said Friday he was 
among those who called police about the drug dealing, not all of it on 
street corners.

"At one house in my neighborhood, two men were dealing drugs right out of 
their house," he said. "They would talk with a buyer out on the sidewalk 
and go back into the house for the drugs."

Hicks said that, while the 43 charged in the investigation are accused of 
being only street-corner dealers, "we are actively pursuing any leads to 
mid-level or top-level suppliers."

Richmond's police roundup of the suspected drug dealers began about 7 a.m. 
on Aug. 10 and wound up with the arrests of 22 people.

Word got around on the streets, he said. A couple of the suspects walked 
into First Precinct at 25th and Q streets and turned themselves in, he 
said. Four other suspects have been arrested since.

In all, 34 Richmond police officers, four Virginia State Police officers, 
two Henrico County officers and four local probation and parole officers 
helped make the arrests, Hicks said.

The probation officers took part because four of those wanted on drug 
charges were on probation, he said.

"Since our action came in response to East End community residents, we hope 
they will follow these cases in court and show their support for the 
prosecutors," Hicks said.
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