NARCOTICS BUREAU HEAD PARTICIPATES IN DELTA DRUG SWEEP

GREENVILLE - The new head of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics
participated in a multiagency sweep in the Delta over the weekend that
resulted in a number of arrests and the closure of a nightclub.

Frank Melton said his agency, the National Guard, the state attorney
general's office, the Washington County Sheriff's Department and the
Greenville Police Department participated in the operation on Friday night.

The sweep resulted in 25 arrests by Greenville police and the sheriff's
office, from felony drug charges to misdemeanor charges, officials said.
Police in other Delta towns also made arrests, officials said.

Last week, Melton suited up with some of his officers to search for drugs
around downtown Jackson and make traffic stops near the Capitol.

Supporters have looked at Melton's approach to the job as being hands-on.
Critics have questioned his tactics and his qualifications, pointing out
that Melton has no law enforcement experience.

Melton said a club in Leland was closed down because teenagers were inside
and the business did not have a license to sell alcoholic beverages.

Melton said he did not know the name of the club.

Melton said local law enforcement officials asked for his agency's assistance.

Washington County Sheriff's Department Capt. David Sessums said
investigators teamed up after receiving several telephone calls from
concerned residents that they were scared to walk outside or to let their
children play outdoors.

"We are going to target street-level drug-dealing and crime to let the
hardworking taxpayers know that the streets belong to them and not the
criminals," Sessums said.