DRUG GEAR SEIZED; 55 CHARGED

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal authorities charged 55 people with trafficking in
illegal drug paraphernalia in an investigation they said targeted the
nation's biggest Internet distributors of marijuana bongs, crack pipes and
other drug abuse gear.

In coordinated raids on Monday, officials confiscated "thousands and
thousands of tons" of paraphernalia from companies boasting up to $50
million in annual sales, said Mary Beth Buchanan, U.S. attorney in
Pittsburgh whose office is leading the "Operation Pipe Dreams"
investigation along with the Drug Enforcement Administration.