DRUG FLOW FROM JAMAICA ON RISE

CHARLOTTE -- Most of the illegal drugs coming into Charlotte, including
marijuana, cocaine and heroin, are mailed or driven in from Mexico. But an
increasing amount is coming from Jamaica aboard commercial flights and in
the bellies of smugglers, according to a new police study.

Jerry Orr, aviation director at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport,
said the numbers could be on the rise because of increased enforcement.

"Or maybe they're just getting better at detecting the drugs," he said.
"The Caribbean gateway is growing, and every flight presents an
opportunity. Federal law enforcement efforts are covert, but I'm sure
they're doing all they can."

Officials at North Carolina's two other big airports, Raleigh-Durham
International Airport, and Greensboro's Piedmont Triad International
Airport, said the problem doesn't appear to be as large for them because
they don't have as many flights to Caribbean destinations.

U.S. Customs Service agents made 26 cocaine seizures at Charlotte-Douglas
International Airport last year, an increase of 150 percent from the year
before, the police report shows.

The cocaine seizures, nearly all of them from Montego Bay, Jamaica, have a
street value of about $500,000. Police say the amount of drugs could grow
as the number of flights from Charlotte increases not only to Caribbean
destinations such as the Dominican Republic and Belize, but also to Mexico
City.

The information on evolving tactics of drug traffickers was based on data
from local and federal law enforcement. It was compiled in a report to be
presented to the City Council on Monday.

On Charlotte streets, police say most of the seized cocaine was produced in
South America and brought to the United States through Mexico. Traffickers
supply local dealers who then sell it for up to $100 a gram, according to
Charlotte's drug assessment.