ASHEVILLE -- Nearly a month after it started, a program that offers residents incentives for alerting police to drug activity has yet to net an arrest.

But that doesn't mean the program isn't working, said Carl Mumpower, chairman of the Asheville-Buncombe Drug Commission and an Asheville city councilman.

"These things take time to work," Mumpower said. "They don't happen overnight."

The Dealer Down drug program aims to reduce the amount of hard drugs on the street by rewarding whistleblowers $1,000 if a dealer possessing half a kilogram, or 1.1 pounds of drugs, such as cocaine, crack or methamphetamines is arrested. Another $1,000 will be rewarded if the same person is convicted.

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