RAID NABS DRUG SOLDIERS, NOT GENERALS

Crack cocaine trafficking and related crimes are so prevalent that
they seem like background music in an action movie. The sound
heightens our emotional tension while distancing our minds from the
unconscionable violence playing out before our eyes.

That description seems to fit the 38 people arrested Monday morning in
Operation Magnum Force, a pre-dawn drug raid carried out by federal
and local authorities. Of those taken into custody, 17 face federal
charges of conspiracy. An additional 11 were charged with possession
of large amounts of cocaine with intent to sell. If this scenario
seems like a television script, it is. And so is the cast of characters.

To fully appreciate the kind of thugs running drugs, we have only to
know that the U.S. Attorney's Office has identified two violent career
criminals, "Big Dred"/ "Fat Boy," age 32, and "Pep," age 41, as the
kingpins of this drug ring. The street cred of others involved in this
episode of Cops is reflected in street nicknames such as "Midnight,"
"Mo," "Big Nick," "Flaco," "Rocco" and "Tank."

Nabbing these dangerous traffickers was no small task. The effort
required months of covert investigation and, for the raid, 450
officers from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Palm Beach
County Sheriff's Office and police departments from Jupiter, Boynton
Beach and Delray Beach. According to one Palm Beach County official,
Magnum Force has dismantled one of the most notorious drug operations.
What a relief.

Those concerned about rampant use in the community of cocaine rocks
and powder should be comforted by reports that, during the raid,
police confiscated more than a half-pound of crack and a kilogram of
powdered cocaine. One gun and $30,000 also were seized. DEA Special
Agent in Charge Mark Trouville stated, "Today, we have eliminated the
flow of hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of illicit drugs into
our community..."

We all have cause to be grateful that this drug raid was a success.
Any chipping away at the trade that has ruined so many lives and
destroyed so many families is greatly appreciated. Also, to the credit
of the criminal justice system, the long prison sentences these men
probably will receive are deserved and not likely to inspire public
sympathy.

That response is predictable when we hear that the younger drug
kingpin has a history of 27 arrests that include a charge of attempted
murder. Further testimony of his criminal mind-set can be inferred
from the word Heartless tattooed on his abdomen and "Bury Me a G" on
his right arm. The older kingpin has been arrested 30 times on charges
that include burglary, battery and attempted murder.

How or why these men came to be what they are, though worthy of
concern, cannot excuse their action. The good news is that they will
be out of business for a while.

But even as we celebrate their impending removal from society, be
informed that before their trials have been held and sentences meted
out, others will take their places in the lucrative illicit drug
trade. And even as we commend the Magnum Force for shutting down this
Palm Beach County ring, other local vendors will take up the slack.

Despite the risks, the drug-related violence will continue unabated.
Instead of dismantling local trade from the top to the bottom, this
enforcement effort stung only the noncommissioned officers and foot
soldiers who risk their lives on the streets and count their profits
in hundreds and thousands. They are dispensable, easily replaced by
recruits too dazzled by chump change to resist enlistment.

The generals in charge, who count their profits in millions and
billions, rarely have to leave their palatial homes in exclusive
neighborhoods or otherwise expose themselves to police raids. If that
reality jars your sensibilities, try to keep in mind that Magnum Force
is doing all it can to protect us.