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.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake