Pubdate: Sat, 12 Jan 2008
Source: Register-Herald, The (Beckley, WV)
Copyright: 2008 The Register-Herald
Contact:  http://www.register-herald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1441
Author: Amelia A. Pridemore
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

DRUG CHARGES MAKE UP HALF OF CITY CASES BEFORE GRAND JURY

Cases investigated by Beckley police involving 49  people, 25 of them
facing drug charges, are expected to  be presented to a Raleigh County
grand jury this coming  week.

"This sends a message that we're tough on crime and on  drug crime,"
Police Chief Tim Deems said. "Our guys are  doing a great job. I would
put our detectives up  against anyone."

Even more city drug suspects are facing federal  indictments, and
there are several other cases  narcotics investigators continue to
actively work,  Detective Sgt. Jason McDaniel said.

"This isn't even a portion of the people we have  charges on," he
added.

While narcotics investigators say they work  continuously to combat
the city's illegal drug trade,  new challenges have emerged -- growing
prescription  drug crimes that are more difficult to investigate and
drastically changing suspect demographics.

And investigating drug crimes remains dangerous because  dealers are
often armed, sometimes heavily.

"The drug trade itself is dangerous, dangerous  business," Deems said.
"Our investigators put  themselves on the line every day to do their
jobs. I  know I appreciate that, and I know our citizens  appreciate
that."

The majority of the drug cases involve the cocaine and  crack cocaine
trades, and marijuana-related crime is  ranked second, Deems said.
However, the fastest-growing  cases involve illegal prescription drug
sales, and the  number of female suspects has dramatically increased.

"Prescription narcotics are starting to become a huge  factor in the
drug game," McDaniel said. "We have four  federal indictments on pills
- -- just pills."

And those cases are harder to investigate. For  instance, if a person
has a valid prescription for  hydrocodone, simply possessing it is not
a crime.

"You have to actually catch them selling the pills --  that's why it's
so hard," McDaniel said. "They can dump  their friends' hydrocodone in
the bottle and it all  looks the same."

- - - -

The prescription drug trade has largely been behind  changing
demographics with drug suspects, McDaniel  said. Narcotics
investigators are seeing larger numbers  of older suspects and female
suspects.

Most people prescribed narcotics are older and they may  be wanting to
supplement their incomes, he said.

"When we arrested people, and it was their first  offenses, they used
to be younger," McDaniel said.  "Now, the age gap is varied a lot.

"We have a man well into his 60s under indictment for a  pill
case."

The only reason McDaniel could find behind the growing  numbers of
female suspects is that more have decided to  join their male
counterparts. In the past, most women  arrested for drug crimes were
acting as carriers  because male suspects believed no female police
officers would be available to search a female suspect.  The Beckley
Police Department has three female  officers, and one can be called to
the scene if none  are on duty at a particular time.

"Now it's a free game," McDaniel said. "It doesn't have  to be a man.
It used to be young males, but now, it's  all ages, and women, too.
They're black, white, male,  female -- everyone. The drug trade knows
no race, and  it knows no gender.

"Every day, though, we try to put as large of a dent in  it as we
possibly can."

McDaniel urged anyone with information about the  illegal drug trade
to call the Beckley Police  Department's Narcotics Enforcement
Division at 256-1844  or Crime Stoppers at 255-7867.
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MAP posted-by: Steve Heath