Pubdate: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 Source: Herald-Sun, The (Durham, NC) Copyright: 2005 The Herald-Sun Contact: http://www.herald-sun.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1428 MESSAGE SENT TO CITY DRUG DEALERS The fight against crime, drugs and gangs in Durham must be fought on many fronts. First, it's vital to have a multi-faceted prevention program, encouraging young people to succeed in life and discouraging them from joining gangs, doing drugs and committing crimes. But the law enforcement side is equally important. Police and courts must combine to make life miserable for lawbreakers. Knowing that an arrest and a long prison sentence are likely outcomes, not remote possibilities, will seriously diminish the allure of the criminal lifestyle. That's why we were pleased with the results of a 16-month undercover investigation conducted by the City of Durham Police Department and state and federal drug enforcement agencies. The investigation netted some $211,000 worth of crack cocaine and 20 drug dealers who the police department described as major players. In addition to ridding the streets of a large quantity of crack, many of the dealers have already paid severely for their crimes -- 16 were sentenced to terms ranging from three and a half to 21 years. Three are awaiting trial and one has died, police said. We hope the arrests and the swift and severe punishments send a strong message to other dealers. It was also good news of a sort that, according to Durham Police Chief Steve Chalmers, six of those arrested have ties to gangs. Criminal gangs are responsible for a large percentage of the violent crime in Durham, and they finance their operations in various ways. One of the big ones is drug dealing. Targeting drug dealers means that police are simultaneously targeting gangs and the murder and mayhem they bring. It's also worth noting that the arrests were part of a multi-agency effort. The investigation began in June 2004 when members of a federal Drug Enforcement Administration team came to Durham from Atlanta to crack down on drug-related violence. We thank the DEA for coming to Durham, and we also give kudos to the local police department for cooperating in the investigation. We have seen in the past that violent lawbreakers can be successfully captured and convicted through such inter-agency law enforcement partnerships. We hope such efforts will continue and intensify so that drug dealers and other violent individuals in Durham will get the message that they really have only three choices: Change your ways, leave town or go to prison. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake