DRUG WAR GROWING DEADLIER IN MIAMI

5 Cut Down Last Month -- 12 Killed Since August

To be young, male and standing on an inner-city street corner here has
recently become a prescription for death.

In what police say is a vicious turf war between rival drug gangs,
five men with links to the cocaine and marijuana trade have been
gunned down this month, 12 since August.

In the latest outbreak, police said, a would-be assassin driving
through the streets of Miami's Overtown neighborhood Tuesday morning
was so eager to fire at his street-corner targets that he did not
bother to roll down the window of his own car before unleashing a
volley from a high-powered assault weapon. Three people were wounded,
including an 18-year-old reported yesterday in critical condition.

``In this game, territory is worth a lot more than human life. And a
body count is a good thing,'' said Miami police Lieutenant Bill
Schwartz. ``This is one of the worst turf wars in recent memory.''

In response to the surge in drive-by violence, police and FBI
announced ``Operation Draw the Line,'' through which 25 officers have
been put on patrol in the predominantly black communities of Liberty
City and Overtown. ``It's a small group of heavily armed, highly
dangerous individuals,'' said Miami police Chief Bill O'Brien. ``They
need to be taken off the street.''

The reputed gangster police would most like to take off the streets is
Anthony Dejuan Fail, a 25-year-old with the nickname ``Little Bo.''
Police said Fail began trying to claim drug sales territory from the
John Does gang after its leader was arrested last month.

Since then, the streets have been littered with bodies and shell
casings, often from semiautomatic AK- 47s. Near the body of alleged
John Doe member Glenn Robinson, 31, shot to death Saturday while
riding his bicycle, police said they found 67 shell casings.

Among others gunned down recently were Fail's girlfriend and a cousin.
``It's gone beyond a business deal with him now,'' said Schwartz, ``to
a personal vendetta.''

Checked-by: Patrick Henry