LEWIS DRUG STING SNAGS 53 SUSPECTS

With thefts, property crimes and bad checks on the increase, Lewis County
officials suspected they just might have a burgeoning drug problem on their
hands. They were right.

An eight-month probe netted indictments of 53 people charged in 81 cases of
drug trafficking. The sting operation and the number of property crimes,
officials said, show that rural counties are not immune to drugs, and in
some cases they may be downright attractive to dope pushers.

Most of the suspects in the sting operation live in Hohenwald, a quaint
town southwest of Nashville known for its elephant sanctuary and its junk
stores.

"You can't be fooled by the small town," said Joey D. Kimble, director of
the 21st Judicial District Drug Task Force. "No place is immune to what the
big cities have. They just have it on a different scale."

Many of the suspects sold prescription drugs. Of the 53 indicted, 26 are
accused of that offense. The others sold a variety of substances, including
cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines.

"I think a lot of rural counties are seeing a lot of prescription drug
abuse," Kimble said.

Prescription drugs are legal to possess, and the profit is high, especially
if TennCare pays for the prescription for the person who originally got the
drugs, he said.

The 21st Judicial Drug Task Force teamed up with the Lewis County Sheriff's
Department, the Hohenwald Police Department and the 21st Judicial District
Attorney's Office to carry out Operation Cooperation. It followed a similar
drug operation in Perry County, where officials reported finding an
increase in drug-related activity.

County officials were seeing a large increase in the crimes that tend to be
drug-driven, such as property crimes, thefts and passing of bad checks.

"What we have found recently is a direct correlation between drug use and
property crimes," Assistant District Attorney Jeff Long said.

In some instances, suspects admitted to writing bad checks or stealing for
drugs, he said.

Long, who worked for the TBI for 14 years before joining the district
attorney's office, said he recognized some of the warning signs of drug
problems in Lewis and Perry counties.

Last year, there was a noticeable increase in crime that appeared to be
drug-driven, he said.

County officials put their heads together, and District Attorney Ron Davis
helped organize the operation. Many rural police and sheriff's departments
don't have the resources to fight illegal drugs, Long said. That also may
make small towns attractive to some drug dealers, he said.

Investigator Joseph Ashmore of the Lewis County Sheriff's Department agreed
that the county needs more law officers to combat the sale of drugs.

"We don't have the manpower at the present time to deal with the problem,"
he said.

Officials are hoping that the drug busts will send a message, but they
remain pessimistic about the problem.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to get these drug dealers off the street," Long
said. "Unfortunately, with the way the times are, a lot of people would
rather sell drugs than get out there and work."

Officials believe drug use in Hohenwald is nowhere near as high or as
blatant as it is in larger cities. At least dealing remains indoors, Kimble
said.

"There's just not an open market," he said. "That really brings a town
down, when everyone can see the dope dealers out in plain view."