THE NUMBERS DON'T ADD UP IN DRUG CASE

In order to avoid responsibility for the death of a young girl
pressured into participating in a botched undercover operation with
dangerous drug dealers, police seem to have smeared her memory by
lying to a grand jury ("Hoffman drug sales debated," Aug. 5).

Police reportedly testified that Rachel Hoffman was selling 15 pounds
of marijuana a week, which, according to numbers cited in a news
release issued by the DEA in Florida last October, would mean she was
handling about $4.7 million a year.

If this were true, why did Rachel's parents have to help pay her
bills?

Police records show only about 5 ounces of marijuana being found in
Rachel's possession. The largest documentable amount of cash Rachel
ever possessed was the $13,000 police gave her to purchase drugs and a
handgun.

Much ado has been made about the police not being able to keep up with
Rachel on the night of her murder, but how can we expect people who
can't do simple math to conduct surveillance?

Nathan Miller

Legislative analyst, Marijuana Policy Project