Pubdate: Fri, 28 Mar 2003
Source: Daily Mississippian (MS Edu)
Copyright: 2003 The Daily Mississippian
Contact:  http://www.thedmonline.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1345
Author: Laura Houston

LOCAL NARCOTICS OFFICIALS CONTEND WITH COCAINE

Oxford and Ole Miss may have more of a cocaine problem than many people 
think. The problem tends to rise when Ole Miss' football season, rolls 
around. Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Agent-in-Charge Scott Mills said 
that seizures of cocaine, a party drug, go up during football season.

"We have a bigger influx at that time because there is a population swell 
during football games," Mills said.

"People come to town to make some quick money because they know a lot of 
people will be here."

Jason, a liberal arts sophomore from Jackson, agreed that football weekends 
offer more cocaine.

"That stuff is everywhere in this town. On football game weekends, there 
seems to be more of it than usual," he said.

Anyone with money and demand will be supplied, said Arliss Swindoll, Drug 
Enforcement Administration special agent in the Oxford District Bureau.

The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics arrested 53 people in possession of 
either powder or crack cocaine, confiscating 37.5 oz. valued at $34,943 
from March 2002 to February 2003. This was a jump from 4.8 oz. of cocaine 
priced at $11,335 and seized from March 1999 to February 2000 from 51 
violators.

Mills attributed the increase to more joint efforts between his and other 
organizations.

Despite the number and monetary value of cocaine seizures, Mills said 
Oxford is better off than most cities in the area.

"In general, (cocaine use in) Oxford is less than any city or counties 
around us because our poverty level and our unemployment level run lower 
than any cities around us," he said.

Oxford is termed as an "in-use" area for cocaine, said Drug Enforcement 
Administration Resi-dent Agent-in-Charge Lynn Mead of the Oxford bureau. 
"Things come in to be used by students and the local populace," Mead said.

"We're not as much of a transshipment area."

Stuart, a senior from Texas, says most of the cocaine that he has seen in 
Oxford comes from Memphis.

This opinion is in keeping with Oxford DEA case findings within its 
37-county jurisdiction of North Mississippi, Swindoll said.

"Most of the cocaine that is sold in Oxford probably comes out of Memphis," 
Swindoll said.

People buy cocaine from Memphis primarily for use or to sell in small 
amounts, "getting an ounce or two, maybe, and selling it around here from 
$800 to $1,000 an ounce," Swindoll said.

Alan Castle, a DEA agent assigned to the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics 
Unit, said a lot of the Memphis-based cocaine coming into Oxford is for 
casual use.

Once it gets to Oxford, cocaine is distributed throughout the community 
regardless of social background, local narcotics authorities said.

"It's an equal opportunity drug," Swindoll said.

When seizing drugs, Mills said cocaine is not sensitive to any particular 
social scene.

"There're no lines," he said.

Where cocaine is used, there is a very high threshold for how much each 
user takes advantage of, some students said.

"Cocaine isn't used a lot in Oxford," said Chuck, an undecided sophomore. 
"It's abused a whole lot. That's all I've ever seen anyway - abuse."

Stuart said when he worked in a restaurant, other people who worked in 
Oxford restaurants were "bad into coke."

"They always have cash on them, and it isn't hard to find if you know where 
to look or who to ask," he said. "I don't know how so much of it gets into 
Oxford."

According to the American Psychological Association, research says drug 
addiction is based on individual vulnerabilities and neuropsychological 
tendencies. Cocaine's tendency toward addiction leads to use of other 
drugs, Swindoll said.

Obsession over the drug, constant use of and access to cocaine and 
disregard for physical trauma caused after use are all signs of addiction, 
according to the Cocaine Anonymous World Services Online Web site. 
Addiction comes swiftly for some and opens the door for use of other drugs, 
Swindoll said.

"No one comes up here thinking, 'I'm going to come to Ole Miss and get 
hooked on cocaine,'" he said.

"A lot of people get up here and think, 'Well, I tried one thing. Now, 
let's go to something else.'"
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart