OFFICIALS BEGIN OXYCONTIN RAIDS IN KENTUCKY; 200 PEOPLE ARRESTED

HAZARD, Kentucky -- Authorities in eastern Kentucky began arresting
more than 200 suspected drug dealers Tuesday in the state's biggest
crackdown yet on Oxycontin, the powerful prescription painkiller
blamed for scores of deaths.

More than 100 officers from local, state and federal agencies began
the roundup at daybreak, taking suspects straight from their beds.

Police expected to arrest about 210 people, said Dan Smoot, head of
law enforcement for the anti-drug task force Operation UNITE in Hazard.

The raids came as authorities brace for an increase in Oxycontin
trafficking when a generic version of the drug hits the market.

"I'm afraid we're going to see a resurgence in its use with the
lower-priced generic form," Smoot said.

Authorities blame abuse of OxyContin for scores of overdose deaths in
the Appalachian region and beyond.

If taken properly, the drug is released slowly into the body. But
abusers circumvent the time-release by crushing the pills and inhaling
or injecting the powder to get a heroin-like high.

OxyContin is also blamed for a rise in crime across the
region.

"It's an ongoing, vicious cycle," Smoot said. "People stealing from
family and friends and then total strangers, to support their habits."