NASSAU DA ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF PUBLIC HOUSING INVESTIGATION

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) An 18-month, multi-agency investigation of alleged
criminal activity at public housing sites in Nassau County has ended with
more than 200 arrests and the seizure of numerous guns, drugs, cash and
vehicles.

District Attorney Denis Dillon said Thursday that the investigation, which
began in August 1998, yielded the arrest of more than 200 street-level drug
dealers and buyers in the village of Hempstead. Other arrests also were
made in the village of Freeport.

''The success of this investigation should improve the quality of life for
our residents and send a further message to drug dealers and criminals that
we will do whatever is necessary to protect the public,'' Hempstead Mayor
James Garner said in a statement.

The arrests helped prosecutors obtain wiretaps and develop evidence against
mid- and high-level drug dealers in the county, as well as suppliers in New
York City, Dillon said. Authorities seized over 130 kilograms of cocaine,
heroin, 10 vehicles, as well as $525,000 in cash.

The $300,000 investigation was funded in large part by the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General, Dillon
said. While most of the defendants are being prosecuted by the Nassau DA,
some cases are being handled by the U.S. attorney's office.