EVIDENCE RECOVERY CAN BE A DIRTY JOB FOR POLICE

Informants Reveal How Dealers Destroy Drugs

Flushing drugs down the toilet is the most common method of destroying
evidence.

But a 16-pound sledge hammer always wins versus a ceramic
commode.

Smashing toilets is just one method narcotics investigators use to
recover flushed evidence. They will dig up a septic tank or dismantle
the pipes underneath a house if necessary.

"It's a nasty job, but someone has to do it," said Richmond County
sheriff's Sgt. Allan Rollins. The potential for losing evidence
factors heavily into the logistics of serving a search warrant. When
possible, they'll seek out informants who can tell them beforehand how
a dealer plans to get rid of his drugs when police knock down the door.

Rollins said all instances in his memory of people flushing drugs have
happened when investigators were bursting in with a search warrant in
hand. But the U.S. Supreme Court has now given authorities the
go-ahead to enter a home without a warrant if they suspect evidence is
being destroyed.

The decision last week upheld the conviction of a Kentucky drug dealer
named Hollis King. Lexington police officers weren't searching for
King, but another man, who had run into an apartment.

Officers didn't know if he had gone into the apartment to the left or
to the right, but they guessed it was the one with the odor of
marijuana coming from it. They pounded on the door and announced their
presence, then heard sounds suggesting someone was destroying
evidence. The officers opened the door and arrested King on a drug
trafficking charge based on the drugs they found.

For some dope dealers, destroying drugs is a spur-of-the-moment
decision, Rollins said.

In their panic to get rid of the drugs, they'll toss the bags at the
toilet and flush, unaware they'd missed the bowl. It's a one-shot
opportunity because investigators are right on their heels, Rollins
said. "It's safe to say they wouldn't make it in the NBA."

And flushing drugs is hardly a fail-safe measure. Air trapped in the
bags of drugs brings a lot of evidence floating back up. Low-flow
toilets might take an extra flush to get the drugs down and the worst
crack houses don't even have running water, just a bucket in the
corner to pour down the commode.

Other dealers are more prepared, however, especially in houses that
are used solely for selling narcotics. Doors reinforced with burglar
bars are their first method of stalling investigators while they get
rid of evidence. Rollins has seen an extra set of burglar bars in the
hallway to slow down deputies.

Another measure is to put clear glass in the bowl to cut deputies
reaching into the commode to grab drugs. Acid concocted from household
chemicals has also been poured down the drain to ensure the drugs are
destroyed.

Even if the drugs do get flushed, though, deputies will unscrew all
the pipes underneath a house if need be to recover evidence.

"We know exactly what you're doing," Rollins warned dealers. "We have
informants to tell us and we're prepared."