36 ARRESTED IN TOPEKA DRUG INVESTIGATION
Effort aimed at cleaning up public housing

TOPEKA - A coordinated effort to rid a Topeka public housing project of
drug dealers resulted in 36 drug-related arrests over the weekend, state
and federal law enforcement agencies said Monday.

The arrests were part of Operation Safe Home, a 1994 federal initiative
designed to bring state and federal agencies together to eliminate drugs,
firearms and gangs from public housing.

During the 10-month investigation, two undercover agents made 75 narcotics
purchases at the Pine Ridge Manor on Topeka's east side.

Authorities said 20 more arrests were possible. Of the weekend arrests, 25
were on federal charges and 11 involved state charges.

During the sweep, three persons were arrested on unrelated city warrants.

U.S. Attorney Jackie Williams said the vast majority of those arrested were
not residents of the housing complex.

Nancy Brown of Kansas City, special agent in charge for the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development, said similar drug investigations are
under way in Wyandotte County, but she declined to be more specific.

"The message is basically zero tolerance for drug dealing in our public
housing in Kansas," Brown said.

Involved in the arrests were the offices of the U.S. attorney, the Shawnee
County district attorney, the KBI, the Topeka Police Department, the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Marshal's Service,
the FBI, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration, the state Division of Alcohol Beverage Control and the U.S.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.