Pubdate: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 Source: Jacksonville Daily News (NC) Copyright: 2007 Jacksonville Daily News Contact: http://www.jacksonvilledailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/216 Author: Lindell Kay Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) COCAINE CLAMPS RESTRICT ACCESS With Mexican authorities targeting suppliers south of the border and U.S. agencies stopping smugglers at sea, the flow of cocaine into America is being squeezed, according to federal officials. But area police say cocaine is still readily available to those who know where to look. "End users can still buy cocaine in Onslow County," said Capt. Rick Sutherland of the Onslow County Sheriff's Department. "They may have to go to more than one dealer to find it, but it is out there." The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced last week that coordinated efforts between the U.S. and Mexico over the summer have made a major impact on the cocaine market, driving prices up around the country. The shortage has driven the nationwide price for cocaine to the highest level in almost 20 years. The average national cost of cocaine has increased 24 percent from around $95 to $120 a gram over a six-month period that ended in June, according to a report by ONDCP. Right now, the price for a gram of powder cocaine in Onslow County ranges from $80 to $100, police officials said. Sutherland said the midlevel dealers are the ones feeling the recent crunch the most. "Midlevel traffickers are having trouble buying cocaine in larger amounts," he said. When a midlevel drug dealer cannot find a large supply of cocaine, the dealer's profits are reduced because he or she has to buy several smaller amounts. And the smaller the amount bought by a dealer, the smaller the profit during resale, said Chris Cox, a detective in the Special Operations Division of the Jacksonville Police Department. "Anything that makes it harder for drug dealers makes it better for us," Cox said. A huge three-county drug sting in February - Operation No Boundaries, in which 100 suspected drug dealers were arrested on 400 felony charges - hurt the local cocaine market a lot, Cox said. "But it is a consumer market," he said. "It is like gas prices. When the dealer has to pay more, the customer pays more and business continues." Jacksonville police Capt. Gary Dixon said what the federal government does to affect the flow of cocaine into the country makes large quantities harder to get, but major operations at a local level, like Operation No Boundaries, can have a direct, positive effect on the local community. Cox said his department continues to work to enforce drug laws on a local level, just as the federal government works to limit the import of cocaine and other illegal drugs. "Whether it's a crack pipe or a kilo, we will continue to work hard to enforce the law," Cox said. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman