'REVERSE STING' NEEDED TO CURB BUYING OF DRUGS

Re: "Reverse' drug raid yields 19 arrests:

Thanks should be given to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and
Sheriff Richard Nugent for attempting to make our streets safe. The
public should realize that a "reverse operation" involves undercover
deputies selling illegal drugs to buyers coming into the area of
Brooksville. If there wasn't a drug problem, individuals wouldn't be
traveling there.

While emphasis should be kept on the street-level dealers, enforcement
also should, from time to time, target the buyers. This type of
operation should make the potential drug user think twice when he's
buying drugs on the corner in our community, never knowing if the
seller is a sheriff's deputy.

While some readers have addressed their concern about deputies selling
drugs in the south Brooksville neighborhood, it is a necessary evil
because 19 arrests were made there in a period of several hours.

Only cooperation between the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and
assistance from the community will help remedy the problem.

Lori Lee