DERRY'S COCAINE KING IS 'POISONING LOCAL CHILDREN'

A prominent Derry businessman is being fingered as the city's cocaine
overlord, the 'Journal' can reveal.

Republican sources have identified a man they believe is responsible
for much of the cocaine flooding the city's streets, pubs and clubs.

The man named is living in a quiet residential area of the Waterside.

They claim the drug boss has been operating his underground trade for
several years with a network of young dealers peddling his toxic
wares. A source close to the INLA told the 'Journal' that the
"prominent businessman" recently approached a dissident republican
organisation in the city claiming he was no longer involved in
importing and distributing the deadly powder.

"But that is not the case," said the source.

"He is bringing a substantial amount of cocaine and using a network
of young people to distribute it city wide and poison our children.
These young people of 19 and 20 are making up to UKP2,000 a week off
the back of the trade. It's a very major operation with massive
amounts of money changing hands."

However, Mr Big is keeping a very low profile.

"The majority of the people selling the drugs probably don't even
know they are selling for him."

A spokesperson for the PSNI said it would be "prejudicial to some of
our operations to discuss them in detail".

However, he added: "All information is valuable, and will be
carefully evaluated before we act on it. The cold reality is that we
have to get the drugs dealers off the backs of vulnerable people and
get them into jail where they belong."

Between April 1 and November 30 last year police seized 97.5 grammes
of cocaine powder and 21 cocaine wraps in the Foyle area.

The amount of cocaine seized in the Derry area was less than in
Belfast, Ballymena (338g); Coleraine (150g); Craigavon (553g) and
Dungannon (279g).