Pubdate: Mon, 02 Feb 2004
Source: Beaufort Gazette, The (SC)
Copyright: 2004 The Beaufort Gazette
Contact:  http://www.beaufortgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1806
Author: Glenn Maffei

RIDGELAND POLICE CRACK DOWN ON DRUGS

RIDGELAND -- With a careful eye, police watched a Ridgeland man as he walked
around town in the pouring rain. He was searching for crack and the police
knew it. The man walked to two apartments looking for that day's $20 fix,
but he struck out each time. Then he called a third drug-dealing
acquaintance who also was unavailable.

With police officers still tucked inconspicuously nearby, he decided to
stand outside the BP gas station on Jacob Smart Boulevard and wait for the
crack to come to him. After 25 minutes, he stepped out of a car, where he
had just traded a $20 bill for a gram of the crystal rock. As he walked way,
the Ridgeland Police Department's undercover station wagon scooped him up.
He was an undercover operative and was working for the Ridgeland police with
hopes of receiving a reduced sentence for his own crimes. Down the street, a
marked cruiser arrested the seller.

At gas stations and on street corners throughout Jasper County, these drug
buys are routine. And police are getting tough.

Ridgeland police since the beginning of the year have conducted undercover
surveillance on numerous controlled drug buys. This week, Ridgeland police
arrested three men and have warrants for several others, said Ridgeland
Police Chief Richard Woods.

According to Woods:

Steve Hamlett, 35, faces charges of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine,
distribution of crack cocaine and possession of crack cocaine;

Ernest Warner, 43, of Ridgeland, has been charged with simple possession of
marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia; and

Nickos Jamar Flint, 22, of Ridgeland, who was released from prison Dec. 31
for distribution of crack cocaine, has been charged with two counts of
distribution of crack cocaine, two counts of distribution within a half mile
of a school or park, and trafficking cocaine. The Hardeeville Police
Department earlier this month arrested four people from Hardeeville in a
similar "citywide crackdown."

The effort will continue to put smokers of the relatively cheap addictive
drug and dealers behind bars, said Hardeeville Police Chief James Hubbard.

"People have developed habits for these drugs and cannot support these
habits, which causes them to commit crimes," Hubbard said.

"We're on a roll," said Capt. Chris Stevers of the Ridgeland police,
explaining the department's recent increased efforts.

Police use criminal informants -- usually crack users facing jail time who
agree to cooperate with police in exchange for the chance of a lenient
sentence. Woods said every arrest of a street level user or dealer is an
opportunity to get bigger dealers.

"What we're trying to do is climb the ladder and hit them where it's going
to hurt the most," he said. "I will never be able to stop the crack cocaine
trade in Ridgeland, but I can make damn sure that they're looking over their
shoulder."

Jasper County Sheriff Ben Riley said the county does not have any major drug
organizations, but the county still has its share of crack.

"The crack cocaine is an ongoing problem," he said. "It's not as bad as it
is when I first took office, but it's eventually coming back each day."
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