AGENCY SHARES DRUG BUST CASH LOCALLY

Fbi Gives Detroit Police, Sheriff's Department $2.7 Million

DETROIT -- The FBI has given $2.7 million to the Detroit Police Department
and Wayne County Sheriff's Department following two drug busts and seizures
in February 2000.

At a recent presentation, John E. Bell Jr., special agent in charge of the
Detroit FBI office, presented checks for $1.54 million to Detroit police
and $1.2 million to the sheriff's department.

The award stemmed from a Feb. 16, 2000, seizure of currency, cocaine and
firearms. Special Agent Dawn Clenney said she couldn't say how much money
was seized in total, but that the Detroit Police Department received the
bulk of the money recovered.

In a separate arrest stemming from the same investigation, $1.2 million in
drug money was seized in Taylor, Wayne County Sheriff Robert Ficano said.
The money and contraband were being carried by a courier in Taylor, who was
arrested by the county's drug task force. The task force will split the
money with its member departments.

"These were among the largest seizures in Wayne County history," Ficano said.

The FBI said the seizure of currency in Taylor was a record for western
Wayne County.

The proceeds, which cannot go to recoup officers' salaries, are used to
cover other costs such as equipment and training, Ficano said. In a typical
year, the Wayne County Sheriff's Department gets between $1 million and $2
million in forfeiture proceeds, Ficano said.

The FBI, U.S. Marshal's Service and Drug Enforcement Administration, along
with several other federal agencies, work closely with Detroit police and
other law enforcement agencies on drug cases, sharing intelligence and
plotting joint strategy. The FBI dedicates a significant number of agents
to drug cases and drug-related crimes in Michigan.

"Only by working together can we attack the drug problem. Cooperation
between police agencies is a must on drug cases," Ficano said.