CITY PLANS DRUG SUMMIT

ASHEBORO -- Hoping to slow down the influx of drugs into Asheboro, Police
Chief Gary Mason will convene a drug summit next month featuring local,
state and federal law enforcement officials.

Randolph County Sheriff Litchard Hurley, along with representatives from
District Attorney Garland Yates' office and officials from the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency, is expected to attend. Each of the officials at the
drug summit will give a short talk, explaining their role in fighting
drug-related crime and telling citizens how they can help, Mason said.

The summit will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Asheboro High School
Performing Arts Center.

Last year, county officials made 443 drug arrests, nearly double the 254
drug arrests made in 1990, according to the State Bureau of investigation.
A large portion of those arrests took place in Asheboro, and drug activity
increased inside city limits in 2000, Mason said.

"Asheboro is a wonderful place to be, but we are beginning to see some
problems," Mason said. "We want to tell people what they need to do and who
they need to call."

Local residents in attendance will be asked if they are willing to do one
or more of the following:

Arrange a meeting in their communities about drug-related crime.

Follow drug cases as they go through local courts.

Participate in the city's ride along program.

Make calls to legislators asking for help fighting drug-related crime.

Contribute money to bolster local drug control efforts.

Serve on future committees about drug crimes.

Mason said drug problems are no longer restricted to certain areas of town.

"(Drug crime) is everywhere," he said. "We stomped the fire and the sparks
spread out all over the city."

Cocaine and marijuana are the most common drugs found in Randolph County.
In 1999, county officials arrested 63 people for selling marijuana and 118
people for marijuana possession. Twenty-eight people were arrested for
selling cocaine in 1999, and 86 were arrested for cocaine possession,
according to the SBI.

There were not as many drug arrests in Randolph in 1999 as there were in
neighboring Guilford and Alamance Counties. Guilford logged 6,086 drug
arrests in 1999, and Alamance had 640 drug arrests.

Mason said Asheboro and Randolph County might catch up with neighboring
counties soon. Preliminary data showed that Asheboro city police seized
about $604,000 worth of drugs in 2000, up from $202,000 in 1999.

"A lot of the drug trafficking is moving out of the major cities and into
rural counties like Randolph," Mason said. "I think that is proving itself out."