GUNS ARE HOT COMMODITY IN DRUG TRADE

The cocaine-trafficking arrests made Wednesday in a typical New Hanover
County neighborhood offer a glimpse into a world where guns might be as
valuable as the drugs.

Detectives with the New Hanover County Vice and Narcotics Unit and the State
Bureau of Investigation seized about a pound of crack cocaine, which was
being "cooked" during the arrests at 122 North Crestwood Drive off of Market
Street, authorities said.

The investigators also seized digital scales, drug paraphernalia, packaging
supplies, money and two .380-caliber semiautomatic handguns that did not
turn up on a national database and have not been reported stolen.

Anthony Daley, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Ralston Forte, 26, of Wilkes-Barre,
Pa.; and Sybreina Jones, 38, of Wilmington, are being held in the county
jail in lieu of $1 million bail each on several misdemeanor and felony
charges.

Because authorities suspect Mr. Daley and Mr. Forte of bringing significant
quantities of drugs into New Hanover County, the arrests are considered
major for the sheriff's department.

Their criminal histories also make it unlikely they legally purchased the
guns seized Wednesday, said Capt. Gene Pulley of the New Hanover County
sheriff's department.

Like much of the law enforcement community, Lt. William Hoehlein of the New
Hanover County Sheriff's Detective Division, said a majority of the guns
stolen from cars or houses are traded for drugs or sold on the street.

And with at least 23 guns reported stolen in Wilmington and the county area
since early June - 19 so far in August alone - the weapons seized Wednesday
could have been bought on the street here earlier this week.

Guns stolen recently from the Wilmington area include an AK-47 assault
rifle, a pistol-grip shotgun, two .380-caliber pistols, several .22-caliber
pistols and a .357-caliber semiautomatic Glock pistol.

The thefts paint a frightening picture for law enforcement officers working
the streets and for the general public.

Dr. John Anders said his son was moving Tuesday from 407 Red Cross St. when
someone broke into his locked pickup. He said his son only turned away for a
moment, but it was enough time for the thief to take the handgun Benjamin
Anders purchased legally about a year ago to shoot targets in rural Bladen
County, where his family lives.

"I hope it never shows up in a robbery or nothing," Dr. Anders said, adding
that his son immediately reported the theft to police.

The gun's serial number is now entered in a national database, where it will
show up if recovered by law enforcement or if it winds its way into the
hands of a legal gun dealer.

"Hopefully it'll show up in a pawn shop," Dr. Anders said.

Law enforcement agencies across the country destroy thousands of guns and
other weapons every year. The Wilmington Police Department destroyed more
than 300 weapons and a quantity of drugs in May.

Some guns were turned in by people who no longer wanted them. Others were
seized in raids or drug busts similar to Wednesday's.

Solutions to guns falling into the wrong hands vary and include aggressive
prosecution of offenders, said Jim Modzelewski, resident agent in charge at
the Wilmington office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives.

But keeping guns from making it that far presents problems for the public,
legal gun owners, law enforcement and the justice system alike. For thieves,
guns represent a way to make a quick profit.

Once a criminal breaks into a car or home, "they look for items they can put
out on the street," Mr. Modzelewski said.