IF YOU DO DRUGS IN NESHOBA COUNTY, YOU'RE GOING TO GET CAUGHT, SO LEAVE

Accused drug dealers employing boys as young as 14 to peddle cocaine on the
streets of Philadelphia should be a wake-up call for leaders about a
problem long spoken of in hushed tones.

Neshoba County has a serious drug problem, and it spills over into every
social class and impacts all races.

The arrest of 34 people - a whole lot of folks for a small town - nearly
two weeks ago in what the authorities described as the largest and most
significant street-level drug roundup ever in Neshoba County should be of
concern to all.

The arrests are only the tip of the iceberg, the authorities say. There
will be more as the actual suppliers are targeted.

The year-long undercover operation dubbed "Morning Justice" was led by the
Tri-County Narcotics Task Force and involved city and county law enforcement.

The task force so far has been one of the only law enforcement agencies
with the resources to carry out operations like "Morning Justice" that can
result in so many drug dealers and users being taken off the streets.

An illegal prescription drug ring spanning three states was taken out by
the task force in March 2002 after the authorities raided a heavily-armed,
rural communal compound here following another extended undercover
operation. That raid netted 26 indictments on federal and state charges.

The proliferation of drugs here has been well documented in this newspaper
over the last 20 years, from the early days of big (and small) marijuana
busts to the methamphetamine and cocaine of today.

Some of the same people who started out as small bag users 20 years ago
went on to become dealers, some committed violent crimes and many of them
are still in prison today.

As an earlier generation took a stand against the bootleggers, so our call
today is to reclaim the streets of Philadelphia from drug dealers.

Neshoba County has a drug problem. Committing sufficient resources to law
enforcement is one way to counter the ever growing drug culture here.

Another way is for prosecutors to seek stiffer sentences and to limit plea
bargaining on repeat offenders. But with the high case load of this
three-county court district, plea bargaining becomes a way to move cases
and, by default, the sentencing guidelines become more liberal.

There's nothing more frustrating for law enforcement than for officers to
risk their lives in drug arrests only to see offenders out of prison in a
few years on a sweet plea bargain.

Perhaps this judicial district needs more resources in the form of judges
and prosecutors, an issue that must be taken up with the Legislature and
which the people will have to push.

Fewer plea bargain deals in Neshoba County might eradicate the drug scum.
Drug dealers start weighing the risks and five years becomes an enticing
gamble they're willing to take for the high life of a drug dealer.

And if the big-time drug dealers are unwilling to take that gamble
themselves, they start recruiting children to take the fall on the streets.

And that leads to a third component of the war on drugs, deterrence,
including rehabilitation for first-time offenders, especially.

Philadelphia Police Chief David Edwards says a new community policing
effort will aim to educate parents, to train then on signs of drug use,
among other things.

Deterrence can begin with the individual who refuses to take part when
everyone else does. And young people should have confidence that just
because the cool people are doing it doesn't make it right.

But so often what started as peer pressure ends with a prison sentence or
worse.

Juveniles in Philadelphia, Mississippi, selling cocaine on the streets just
doesn't seem thinkable. No wonder parents are concerned about sending their
children to school.

Left unchecked the drug culture will proliferate and reproduce like
maggots. It will be up to this community to take a stand against that advance.

Strong law enforcement, tough sentencing and deterrence are all part of the
preventative formula. "If they're doing drugs in Philadelphia or they're
involved with drugs in Philadelphia they'll eventually be caught," Edwards
said.

And that's the message that should go forth: If you do drugs in Neshoba
County you're going to get caught and you're going to do time, lots of it.