SPEEDING DRUG TRADE LEAVES WAKE OF FEAR

Two women who live just off East North Street in Greenville say their
porches are off limits for them after dark. "It's bad," said Marian
Hawthorne, 64, a Greenline-Spartanburg resident for 25 years. "We have it
pretty bad here. You can't even sit on your porch."

Della Goldsmith, an area resident for 72 years, said she is intimidated by
gunfire and street-level drug dealing.

Police patrol, but the activity cranks back up after the white cruiser leaves.

Goldsmith said she finds the situation particularly hard to stomach. Her
45-year-old son and another man were shot to death in a still unsolved
murder two years ago.

Top police commanders say drug dealing and accompanying problems on the
street is a thorny problem.

Sgt. James McCann, a spokesman for the Greenville County Sheriff's Office,
said the lucrative nature of the drug trade is a strong draw. Two weeks
ago, Greenville police arrested 34 people on drug charges following a
four-month undercover operation in five neighborhoods.

"We still have a heavy flow of drugs in Greenville," Greenville Police
Chief Willie Johnson said. "That's mainly because too many have an appetite
for drugs."

McCann said of drug dealers, "They may get creative, but we have to come up
with intelligent ways of dealing with them. Our ultimate goal is to stop
drugs."

"We use some deputies as undercover agents between their hiring and when
they go to the academy, said McCann, a veteran deputy of 14 years.

Some of the most common drugs on the street are crack, cocaine,
methamphetamine ("meth") and marijuana.

Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Burris said deputies have shut down 50 to 60 "meth" labs
this year alone.

Johnson said investigating a street-level or lower end drug dealer might
take a matter of days or weeks. Meanwhile, bringing down a middle or higher
level drug dealer could taken anywhere from one to five years.

Citing why catching a big fish can take time and an investment, Johnson
said buying 50 kilos isn't done every day. It takes time, patience, he said.

A kilo, or about 2.2 pounds, of cocaine on the street might cost $16,000 to
$20,000, he said.

Capt. Dave Henderson said in fighting drug crime isn't like turning a
bluelight and hauling in a speeder. "You can't just lay back and catch
them," he said.

"If you do the same thing every day, they find out your M.O.," he said.
"It's an ever changing business."

City police Lt. Randy Evett said "meth," heroin and other drugs are in
demand in Greenville, but less than crack and cocaine.

Evett said "mobile meth labs" are being used more often to avoid arrests.

"It's kinda crazy - they're running around with a bomb in back," he said of
the volatile chemicals and works that can be hauled in the trunk of a car.

One meth lab exploded in Greenville County a few months ago, injuring a deputy.

"There's strong demand for drugs in this community," he said. "Therefore
suppliers are in demand."