TERROR DRIVES DRUG TRAFFIC DOWN

Increased vigilance at the nation's borders and airports has reduced the
amount of illegal drugs coming into the area and increased the prices of
some drugs on the streets, local officials say.

"The price has gone up and will continue to go up on a lot of this stuff,"
state police Lt. Jack Perry said. "It's basic supply and demand."

Local law enforcement is now concerned that law-abiding citizens may pay
the price for the unstable market.

"The worry is that a lot of crimes are committed by drug addicts looking
for a fix," said Pittsburgh police Cmdr. Regina McDonald, who oversees the
city narcotics unit. "As the price goes up they may turn to more robberies
and burglaries to get the money they need."

Federal officials have reported a sharp decrease in illegal drugs coming
across the borders after stricter inspection standards were implemented
since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The interdiction task force at Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay
Township has seen a similar decline, Perry said.

The cocaine, heroin and Ecstasy popular in this area come from overseas,
officials said.

So with less supply, the price of cocaine and Ecstasy in particular has
gone up in some areas. City police said a kilogram of cocaine, which before
Sept. 11 cost about $20,000, has hit $30,000 on the street.

The price of Ecstasy, a euphoria-inducing stimulant popular with club-going
teen-agers, has also jumped, Perry said. Detectives participating in a
recent investigation into "rave" parties saw the base price go from $5 to
$10 to $12 for a pill last month, Perry said.

Allegheny County police Lt. Harold Cline said the rising prices have not
hit the suburbs yet.

"A lot of the supply is already in the pipeline," he said. "What's in the
country now has been here for a while."

He is watching the heroin market for changes, however. Afghanistan is a
world leader in the production of poppy, the main ingredient in heroin. If
attacks continue and its borders remain closed, it could decrease the
production of heroin in a few months, Cline said.

Several dangers can arise from increased prices.

Users may move to cheaper but more addictive narcotics like heroin,
McDonald said.

American Ecstasy traffickers also may set up their own production labs here
if they can't get the pills from traditional sources like Belgium, the
Netherlands and the Middle East, Perry said.

Authorities also fear an increase in violence connected to the drug
markets. If supply continues to decrease, the competition may heat up among
people who traditionally use guns to settle financial squabbles.

"We may soon see a lot more desperation and that can lead to a lot of
problems," McDonald said. "Basically we're going to monitor this situation
very closely."