AGENCIES CITE TEAMWORK IN LONG PATERSON PROBE

Showcasing the spoils of an 11-month joint investigation into the
entrenched drug economy of a public housing project, local and
federal law enforcement officials said Monday that they are just
beginning to match their combined resources against an increasingly
advanced narcotics trade.

Among the recovered firearms and confiscated bags of heroin and crack
cocaine on display at police headquarters on Broadway, officials had
one striking example of modern dealers' sophistication: a 1991 Toyota
Camry fitted with a secret hydraulically operated compartment for
drug storage, which is hidden behind the glove compartment.

The investigation resulted in more than 300 arrests, most of them
people who came from as far as 90 miles away -- including towns in
Pennsylvania and New York -- to buy drugs at the Alexander Hamilton
Housing Development, just off Route 80 in Paterson.

Joined by officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the New Jersey
State Police, and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, Paterson
police said the partnership offers hope for overcoming such a
far-flung market.

"What you see on this podium is the way it's going to work from now
on," said Paterson Police Chief Lawrence Spagnola, flanked by
representatives of the other agencies at a press conference Monday,
four days after the investigation culminated in a full-blown police
raid at the housing development. "We're all partners."

County Prosecutor Ronald S. Fava concurred: "This isn't the way it's
always been, but it's the way it is now."

The investigation and raid netted 305 arrests for drug possession and
sales. Police said 47 of those were for possession with intent to
distribute, possession within 1,000 feet of a school, and possession
within 500 feet of a housing development -- all crimes for which a
minimum three-year prison sentence is mandated.

An additional 46 suspects were charged with drug sales within 1,000
feet of a school, which also means stiffened penalties if they are
convicted.

The 207 suspected buyers were from 58 communities in three states.

Officials also confiscated $125,000 worth of heroin and crack,
$25,000 in cash, four guns, and two vehicles, said Michael
Pasterchick Jr., North Jersey commander of the DEA's High Intensity
Drug Trafficking Area task force. One of the vehicles was the
customized Camry, which was carrying 5,000 glassine envelopes of
heroin to Alexander Hamilton, on Alabama Avenue, when a drug-sniffing
dog alerted officials to the secret compartment, Pasterchick said.

He and other officials said the investigation is continuing and is
expected to yield further arrests. They repeatedly called it "just
the beginning."

The DEA classifies the New York City-North Jersey region as one of 31
nationwide that qualify for a share of the $186 million dedicated
this year to combat drug trafficking in high-intensity areas, said
DEA Special Agent Earl =46ielder. Joseph Clarke, assistant special
agent in charge of the area for HUD's Office of the Inspector
General, said the region's heroin is second only to Philadelphia's in
purity.

The Paterson Housing Authority has already moved to evict eight
tenants associated with the drug-dealing, said Executive Director
Irma Gorham. She, too, said the investigation and raid were just a
first step in improving security at the development, which has seen
escalating violence and a decreased police presence in recent years.

The authority also intends to strictly enforce lease provisions and
seek federal funding for constant police patrols, Gorham said.

"No longer will drugs or violence of any kind be tolerated at our
developments," Gorham said during the press conference.

Like the amassed law enforcement officials, Gorham insisted that the
joint investigation had already made an impact at Alexander Hamilton,
which with more than 400 families is the city's last high-rise
housing project.

Spagnola said arrests even of low-level buyers and dealers have a
real and symbolic effect on the drug market. He said only a small
portion of the tenants were involved, forcing law-abiding residents
- -- some of whom helped police in the investigation -- to live in
dread.

"Basically, people were being held hostage in their homes," said
Mayor Marty Barnes.

Residents interviewed at the development Monday afternoon were aware
of Thursday's early morning raid, but some were skeptical about its
accomplishments. They predicted that the dealers would change
locations and be "back in business tomorrow."

The development's parking lot, however, was noticeably quiet and
empty, and one resident said the raid was indeed a good start.

"If they really put in an effort, these projects will change," said
23-year old Marisol Cruz.