GANGS RAISE DRUG STAKES

Madison Becomes Center For Trade, Task Force Warns

Madison has ''hundreds'' of gang members who control its open-air crack
cocaine markets, a Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force official said
Wednesday in unveiling the group's first report to the public.

''The Gangster Disciples from Chicago are firmly entrenched here,'' said
Madison police Lt. William Housley, who leads the task force. ''Our gang
situation in this area is certainly maturing. We see more people claiming
gang affiliation, more tattooing, more intelligence of gang meetings going
on to talk about who has what corner of the market.''

Gang members grew so bold last year, Police Chief Richard Williams said,
''they had the nerve to have a gang meeting in one of our community centers.''

The 34-member task force has kept its war on drugs and gangs relatively
unpublicized. That changed Wednesday, with a news conference by Housley,
Williams and Dane County Sheriff Gary Hamblin to announce the group's 1997
annual report.

''Our purpose today is not to tout what law enforcement has done. It's to
maintain public awareness that this is a serious problem,'' Hamblin said.
''It's become much more sophisticated and the stakes are higher Guns are
involved.''

The report bears him out: In 1997, the task force seized $1.66 million in
drugs, $243,881 in cash, 64 weapons and nine vehicles. They spent $24,473
in ''drug buys.'' Drug dogs checked out 1,249 parcels, 153 vehicles and 65
buildings.

Members arrested 1,056 people, a 16 percent increase over 1996. Of 100
people arrested by the task force investigative section, 53 were white and
47 were minorities. Of 956 people arrested by the operations section, 39
percent were white and 61 percent were minorities.

''That stands to reason, because we're assigned to challenged
neighborhoods, which are predominantly minority, where we have the open-air
drug markets,'' Housley said.

A total of 750 drug charges were issued: 305 related to marijuana, 124 to
crack cocaine, 48 to powder cocaine and the rest to heroin, hallucinogenic
mushrooms, phony drugs, methamphetamines and Valium.

The $1.4 million in marijuana seized shows it ''still is the drug of
choice,'' Housley said. Crack seizures declined from a 1995 peak, which
''may mean it's beginning to stabilize,'' while powder cocaine seizures
grew 38 percent from 1996, he said.

Madison is now a drug source for other Wisconsin cities, Housley added.
''People come here to buy and take it back for sale.''

Housley expects flat crack sales in 1998, but rising sales of powder
cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines. Last year, the task force
investigated four methamphetamine cases and three ''meth'' labs.