102 ACCUSED OF SUPPLYING CRACK TO WHITE-COLLAR NY WORKERS 10/10/98

NEW YORK - Officials announced the indictments Friday of 102 members of a
drug operation that sold millions of dollars' worth of crack cocaine to
white-collar workers in midtown Manhattan.

Authorities said that the dealers from five gangs largely sold their drugs
indoors, rarely fought over territory and catered to their most-cherished
customers, what the dealers called the "S and T crowd" - the suit and tie
crowd. The sales were made over the course of a decade.

Officials said the gang members' practice of selling drugs indoors and the
fact that they shunned firearms indicated the adaptability of the drug
trade.

They said a continuing demand for drugs fueled the operation. Half of its $5
million in annual sales were made to white-collar workers, investigators
said.

Walter Arsenault, assistant Manhattan district attorney, said the
white-collar workers "bought big and they paid twice as much."

The five gangs involved apparently shunned confrontation to avoid drawing
police attention. To avoid warfare, dealers declared a truce and worked out
a shift schedule among themselves, officials said.

Dealers from different gangs shared customers and drug supplies and even
warned each other when police approached, investigators said.

Gang disputes were settled by slashings and stabbings, not by gunbattles.
Gang members told the police that they no longer carry guns because they
fear that they will be stopped by police enforcing the city's crackdown on
low-level crimes, authorities said.

The lucrative operation ended after a rival gang from Boston tried to move
in, law-enforcement officials said. A shooting in January drew the attention
of the police and eventually led to Friday's indictments.

Checked-by: Don Beck