DRUG SUSPECTS POSE CHALLENGES FOR JAILS

Albany -- More Than 100 Arrested In Trafficking Sting Will Be Held In
Capital Region Cells

More than 100 suspected South American drug traffickers rounded up in an
undercover sting operation are headed to Capital Region jails, where they
could pose security problems for local authorities.

Many of the suspects are believed to have ties to powerful Colombian and
Mexican drug cartels. They are being moved to local jails from six states
because the federal cases will be prosecuted in U.S. District Court in Albany.

Even though the suspects will be spread among 17 jails in eastern New York,
including Albany and Schenectady county jails, it's possible factions could
band together behind bars. But authorities are screening the inmates to try
to keep those with allegiances separated.

"In the drug world today, there is plenty of money and plenty of contacts
so we try to take precautions,'' said Edward J. Kelly, the U.S. marshal for
the Northern District of New York.

Ten of the inmates arrived at Schenectady County Jail Wednesday night.

"There are associated problems,'' said Schenectady County Sheriff Harry
Buffardi. "We don't always know the charge they're brought in on and it
makes it difficult to classify them. ... There also seems to be greater
health issues with some of these people.''

Often, international prisoners, especially those from Third World
countries, carry diseases such as tuberculosis, Buffardi said.

There is also a language barrier problem. Federal officials say most of
those arrested during Wednesday's sting operation speak only Spanish.
Interpreters, paid for by the federal government, may be needed when the
prisoners undergo processing to find out if they are suicidal or have any
medical or mental health issues, authorities said.

"We're the ones who are with them most of the time, and if you've got a guy
you can't communicate with, you've got to find an officer or another inmate
who can speak this guy's language,'' said Thomas Carroll, a correction
officer at Albany County jail. "It makes things more difficult, and it's
already a stressful job.''

Albany County officials have been told to expect at least 15 of the federal
prisoners within days.

Despite the problems housing the suspects could present, officials aren't
eager to turn them away. Albany County Sheriff James L. Campbell said the
jail on Albany Shaker Road took in $1.5 million last year housing federal
prisoners. The federal government pays $83.81 a day for each prisoner
lodged there, Campbell said.

Most of the cases take six months or longer to move through the federal
court system, so Campbell and other local jails expect a windfall.

"We welcome the boarders,'' Campbell said. "You can pick and choose your
boarders. If a federal inmate acts up, we can send him back. And the beauty
about the feds is they take care of transportation and any medical needs.''

Rensselaer County accepts federal prisoners but will not likely take in any
of the suspects because the 248-bed jail is at capacity, said Sheriff
Daniel Keating.

The suspects were arrested in a series of sunrise raids from New York to
Florida on Wednesday following a yearlong undercover investigation that was
centered in Albany. Undercover agents used Capital Region motels and
restaurants to offer green cards in exchange for cash and drugs. The
alleged traffickers would pay as much as $18,000 to an undercover
immigration agent who was posing as a corrupt official.

The green cards are coveted by the suspected drug traffickers because they
allowed them to travel in and out of the country without fear of being
arrested, authorities said.

The multistate police sting -- dubbed "Operation Wild Card'' -- enabled
authorities to photograph and get personal information from suspected drug
dealers when they believed they were getting underground green cards,
authorities said.

In all, investigators say they seized $350,000 in cash, $7.2 million worth
of heroin and $4 million worth of cocaine.

By Thursday, authorities had rounded up 108 of the 159 suspects named in
the federal indictments.

None of those arrested were from the Albany area, authorities said. A
21-year-old college student from Kingston was the person arrested closest
to the area.

The suspects face an array of federal charges, including distribution of
cocaine and heroin, conspiracy to bribe a public official, bribery, evading
immigration laws, transportation of undocumented immigrants and entering
the country illegally, officials said.

Ed Szostak, superintendent at Albany County jail, said the facility has
become adept at handling the pitfalls that come with international prisoners.

"Any time you get a foreigner there's a potential health risk,'' he said.
"Obviously you're entering into a risky environment taking in people with a
higher security risk, but we've had everybody from murderers to
international terrorists.''