Pubdate: Sun, 21 May 2006 Source: Herald-Dispatch, The (Huntington, WV) Copyright: 2006 The Herald-Dispatch Contact: http://www.hdonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1454 Author: Bryan Chambers Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) PENNSYLVANIA CITY MAKING DENT IN DETROIT DRUG PROBLEM Huntington isn't the only city that has dealt with an influx of drug dealers from Detroit. Several towns along U.S. 23 in Ohio have stories about traffickers from the Motor City using intimidation and violence to take control of the drug trade. Their presence has even stretched into Pennsylvania. It's in the small town of New Castle, Pa., where authorities have had success. The town, which has a population of about 26,000 and is 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, put a dent in its drug trade in February when police issued arrest warrants for 28 members of two drug rings that moved at least $2 million worth of crack cocaine since 2003. Seventeen of the fugitives were from Detroit. Since then, authorities have arrested 20 people in connection with the drug rings, including two Detroiters identified as the leaders: Lamarol "Tone" Abram, 28, and James "O.Z." Brooks, 39. Police there also made an important arrest there last week -- a man believed to be one of the city's key local drug lords. New Castle Mayor Wayne Alexander has a poster with the fugitives' pictures hanging on the wall in his office. Every time someone is arrested, he marks them off, he said. "I'm not trying to paint a pretty picture that we have gotten rid of all of our drug problems in New Castle," Alexander said. "But we've reached a point where it's manageable." Out-of-town crack dealers have been coming to New Castle ever since demand for the drug surged in the 1980s, Alexander said. Detroiters are attracted to the town because it's only four hours away, said Nils Frederiksen, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, which helped local authorities disband the drug rings. New Castle also is the only urban center within a 50-mile radius, and big-city dealers perceive there to be a small police presence, he said. The pipeline between Detroit and Pennsylvania strengthened in 2003 after New Castle authorities arrested several local dealers during a drug sweep, Frederiksen said. "It began with several Detroiters working out of local crack houses. Then they began setting up their own crack houses," he said. "As the power shifted, we saw them bring in more of their colleagues. They knew there was money to be made in New Castle." An ounce of crack cocaine that cost $500 in Detroit was broken down into small quantities and sold for as much as $2,500 in New Castle, Frederiksen said. As their profits increased, the drug dealers became more brazen. They operated crack houses within view of the New Castle Police Department and started bringing in 14- and 15-year-old boys from Detroit to sell crack on the streets. Every month or so, the teenage dealers would be replaced with a new fleet of boys from Detroit to throw off local authorities, Frederiksen said. When Alexander was elected in 2004, he said he implemented a zero-tolerance policy on drugs. "My people were afraid and intimidated," he said. "I'll never forget the day a mother called me and said she had lost her daughter. She said she was the valedictorian of her high school class, but never got to go to college, because she became addicted to crack. That showed me this drug has no boundaries." Alexander said he met with state representatives and Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation several times to formulate a plan. Within months, FBI and DEA officials were helping New Castle's 32-officer department conduct undercover investigations on the drug rings. Local authorities also teamed up with the U.S. Marshals Service to arrest fugitives that had gone back to Detroit. To get rid of crack houses, Alexander said the U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh used a federal statute that punishes landlords who allow drug activity in their properties. "Whenever we got a documented complaint about a crack house, the landlord was notified," Alexander said. "If they didn't do anything to clean the situation up, they could go to jail, forfeit their property and pay up to a $10,000 fine." The city also increased its traffic enforcement efforts on the fringes of town. Alexander said he recalls one four-hour period when police made 10 drug-related arrests after stopping motorists for traffic violations. Perhaps the most critical part of battling New Castle's drug problem has been making residents feel like they are part of the solution, Alexander said. The city did that by forming neighborhood block and community watch committees and starting an anonymous drug tip line. "As mayor, it's my responsibility to take the lead in this effort," he said. "If the people have the confidence in their mayor and police department, that's half the battle. You have to create a winning atmosphere." Despite the recent success, New Castle still has a long way to go, Alexander said. The drug problem has led to prostitutes standing on street corners in the middle of New Castle's downtown, which is undergoing a major revitalization project, he said. He said if the local newspaper is willing, his plan is to publish the photos of anyone arrested for solicitation. Alexander said he became aware of Huntington's drug problem after reading a front-page story about the May 22, 2005, shooting deaths of four teenagers in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in March. He said he has briefly spoken to Huntington Police Chief Arthur E. "Gene" Baumgardner about the cities' similar problems and has invited Mayor David Felinton, Baumgardner and other law enforcement officials to come to New Castle. He's still waiting for them to accept the invitation, he said. "I feel for the problems Huntington is going through," he said. "I think we can share ideas and learn from each other. We both know what it feels like when entire neighborhoods are taken over by this element." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman