CRACKING DOWN ON ILLEGAL DRUG USE

Stores that sell paraphernalia are targeted

Bongs, pipes, roach clips and related products are clearly intended for
illegal drug use and shouldn't be sold in legitimate businesses, especially
to young people.

That's how the U.S. Department of Justice, which is spearheading a
multi-agency investigation aimed at the marketers of drug paraphernalia,
sees it.

Two Wilmington businesses - Buddha's Belly at 830 S. Kerr Ave. and
Expressions at 419 S. College Road - were targeted last week in the local
component of "Operation Pipecleaner." No charges were filed, but thousands
of dollars worth of inventory was seized as evidence.

"To the best of our knowledge, we did not know we were breaking any laws,"
Expressions manager Jamie Johnson said Monday.

Law enforcement needs to be creative in efforts to reduce illegal drug use,
said Frank D. Whitney, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North
Carolina.

"Our mission is to prosecute those who are profiting from drug usage," Mr.
Whitney said during a visit to Wilmington with officials from the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service. The New Hanover
County Sheriff's Office, Wilmington Police Department and state Bureau of
Investigation are also participants.

Federal law provides for imprisonment, fines and forfeitures for those
convicted of the illegal marketing and sale of drug paraphernalia. It's
especially important to keep the items away from teenagers and university
students who connect it with using illegal drugs, Assistant U.S. Attorney
Paul M. Newby said.

"The owners of drug paraphernalia businesses glamorize drug use by stocking
drug paraphernalia along with clothing, posters and other items, such as
skateboards, that are attractive to and sought after by teenagers and young
adults," Mr. Newby said.

The businesses are often located near college campuses, "encouraging
experimentation by those tempted to be casual users," he said.

Combining local, state and federal resources will maximize the program's
scope, New Hanover County Chief Deputy Sheriff Tom Parker said.

Deputies have to contend every day with the fallout from drug use, including
domestic abuse, child abuse, impaired driving and theft-related crimes, he
said.

Expressions has been operating locally for seven years. Between $20,000 and
$30,000 worth of inventory was seized last Thursday, Ms. Johnson said.

Pipes and other products are sold to customers with the understanding that
they are to be used to smoke tobacco, Ms. Johnson said.

"There is all sorts of terminology we use in the store to avoid breaking the
law and to the best of my knowledge, they are sold for tobacco use only, and
as far as I know that's what they smoke out of them," she said. "Police
never notified us that anything we sold was illegal."

Mr. Whitney was unimpressed with the explanation.

"It's like someone who speeds all the time who says, 'I've never been
caught'" he said.

Paraphernalia was also seized last week from four Raleigh-area businesses.
The investigation will continue, Mr. Whitney said.