POLICE HOPE RECENT BUST PUTS DENT IN LOCAL DRUG TRADE

Arrests may tighten market for crack None of the 20 suspects rounded
up in an Elizabeth City police anti-crime operation last week can be
described as "major drug dealers," a police official acknowledges. But
that doesn't mean their arrests weren't significant, Sgt. Gary Bray
says.

In the nine years Bray has been with the Elizabeth City Police
Department only a handful of drug suspects have ever faced federal
drug charges. As a result of Operation Nip-Tuck, five of the 20
suspects arrested last week will face federal drug and gun charges,
Bray said. In addition, federal arrest warrants have been issued for
three other suspects not apprehended in the roundup.

That's significant because federal drug charges can result in stiffer
sentences if the suspects are convicted in court. Indeed, a press
release from the U.S. Attorney's Office suggests that several of the
federal charges against those arrested in Nip-Tuck --possession with
intent to distribute more than 50 grams of crack and possession of a
firearm to facilitate drug trafficking -- carry a maximum sentence of
life in prison. Four of the suspects arrested in last week's roundup
are facing federal drug charges. They include: Daniel Bowser, 31;
Joseph Hall, 30; Kareem McMurrin, 23; and Jervon McGilberry, 25. Each
is charged with possession/distribution of crack cocaine. Dominique
Ferebee, 22, faces federal charges for being a felon in possession of
a firearm. All five suspects are from Elizabeth City. Some of those
facing federal charges had already been formally indicted on state
drug charges, Bray said. The federal government was able to "adopt"
the charges because the suspects' alleged crimes met certain
standards, he said. While significant, police are hopeful that the
arrests from Operation Nip-Tuck will bear bigger fruit.

"Some of these may lead us to bigger arrests, some of them may not,"
Bray said. One thing the roundup may have done is tighten the local
market for crack cocaine, he said. It also should have sent the
message that police are serious about reduce the level of drug
trafficking in Elizabeth City. "Hopefully, this will make a
statement," Bray said.

That's important because controlling the flow of crack cocaine is
critical to controlling the overall crime rate, he said. Bray believes
that most crime is connected in some way to drug trafficking.
Assaults, larcenies and break-ins are often traced to drug
trafficking, because it's often the only way perpetrators can get the
cash they need to buy drugs. Bray pointed to the reported theft
recently of a weed eater. "It ain't because his hedges need trimming,"
he said of a thief's motivation.

Consumers are the biggest victims of such crimes, Bray says, because
thefts often drive up insurance costs and prices for merchandise.
Controlling the drug trade can also control gang activity, Bray said.
In Elizabeth City, gangs and drugs go hand in hand, he said. So if one
is minimized, the other will be too.

But just as police are adjusting their tactics to clamp down on the
drug trade, so are the drug traffickers making adjustments, Bray said.
Dealers, most of whom appear to get their supplies from larger drug
figures in Hertford and Edenton, have become more clever about hiding
their product from police, he said. Rarely do they carry large amounts
of marijuana or crack cocaine.

Police sometimes catch someone with a large amount of drugs -- a city
employee for example was arrested with five pounds of marijuana. But
that's the exception, not the rule, Bray said.

"People are not just going to be walking down the street with bags of
dope on them," he said.

Another misconception about local drug dealers is that they are rich,
Bray said. In fact, most local drug dealers don't own much of
anything, he said. They may have a nice car, fancy clothes and some
jewelry, but they usually spend the money they make on selling drugs
fairly quickly, Bray said. Drug dealers also appear to have realistic
expectations about their chosen line of work.

"They know they're going to get caught, eventually," Bray said.