18 HOMES RAIDED IN DRUG-TRAFFICKING CASE

Phoenix police raided 18 Valley homes before dawn Tuesday, rounding up
people suspected of being members of a violent drug-trafficking
organization that has been funneling massive quantities of marijuana from
Mexico to the East Coast.

The organization has been linked to a murder, a home invasion robbery and a
shootout at a carwash, highlighting the increasing violence that is
becoming associated with marijuana smuggling and is spilling into Valley
neighborhoods.

"Over the years we've become complacent that there's no violence associated
with marijuana. I'm here to tell you there's a lot of violence attached to
it," Phoenix police Sgt. Mike Torres said. advertisement

"When it's dry or it's in between (harvesting) seasons, we're seeing people
(steal) from people. Whoever gets in the way, they don't care. The almighty
dollar pushes them to the violent extreme."

Perhaps just as alarming, police say they also are seeing more teens swept
into drug smuggling, partly because it's perceived they will be treated
less harshly in the criminal justice system. Among the 18 suspects arrested
Tuesday was a 17-year-old boy who reportedly was involved in just about
every facet of the drug operations, from running drugs to packaging them to
collecting money from buyers.

Assistant Phoenix Police Chief Kevin Robinson called the trend "utterly
disgusting."

"There's a whole lot of money involved," Robinson said, "and people will do
a lot for money."

Since police began targeting the organization nine months ago, nearly
12,000 pounds of marijuana has been seized, as well as $352,000 cash and
weapons. Detectives say Tuesday's raid crippled the entire Phoenix leg of
the operation.

"It's scary to know it was that big of a deal with that much drugs," said
Walt Welker, who lives near a Glendale home that was raided. "It's scary to
think of what could have happened."

The investigation, funded by the state Attorney General's Office and worked
with the Drug Enforcement Agency, was sparked by a neighbor's tip about a
home near Phoenix's Encanto Park that led to the seizure of nearly 4,200
pounds of marijuana in April.

"Any time you get somebody that's holding 4,000 pounds, you know you have
the potential for big things down the line," Detective Rich Lebel said.
"Not just any run-of-the-mill drug dealer is going to have their hands on
4,000 pounds."

Police found the organization was smuggling hundreds, sometimes thousands,
of pounds of marijuana at a time through Arizona's porous border. The pot
went to stash houses in Phoenix where it was repackaged for distribution to
half a dozen eastern cities, including New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis.

It's a lucrative trade, and police worry the accompanying violence will
parallel that associated with human smuggling. The wholesale price for a
pound of pot in the Valley is about $500. Once the drug is transported to
the East Coast, the price triples.

"This case tragically shows how the violence associated with the sale of
illegal drugs endangers not just those who deal drugs but also innocent
people," Attorney General Terry Goddard said in a statement.

Outside her Glendale home Tuesday, Cathy Williams watched police haul
nearly 200 pounds of marijuana from a neighbor's garage. She had waved to
the people at the home and noticed cars coming and going, but she hadn't
realized what was going on.

"It was incredible," Williams said. "We thought they were renovating the
home and getting ready to move in."