PARK IS DRUG DEALERS' FANTASY LAND

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. - When Christopher Cranford came to Old
Faithful, it wasn't as a tourist; it was to make money pedaling drugs. And
in the heart of the world's first national park, officials say, he found a
market.

By park standards, Cranford's arrest last spring was a major bust, one that
investigators say crimped the flow of drugs into Yellowstone National Park.
But they know, too, there are others like Cranford ready to step in to sell
drugs to the mostly young workers who spend their summers at park hot
spots, busing tables, selling souvenirs and cleaning guest rooms.

"I think it's a matter of users drawing suppliers," said Chris Fors, a
Yellowstone special agent. "Service workers create demand."

Drug use is among the many headaches for law enforcement officers in
Yellowstone and nearby Grand Teton National Park. Park officials say drug
cases in the park each summer largely involve seasonal workers, many of
them young college students on summer break, employed through private
concession companies.

And while most arrests are for simple possession charges, park officials
and the concession companies that hire the workers say they take each case
seriously because those involved with drugs also more likely to be involved
in other crimes in the park.

"Someone with a significant illegal drug habit is more likely to embezzle
and steal from guests' rooms and cars," said Brian Smith, supervisory
special agent at Yellowstone. "The public has a right to feel that they're
safe and not going to be victimized when they come to a national park."

"We're very aware of the drug situation. But I don't think we have a
problem," said Clay James, president of Grand Teton Lodge Co., which
employs about 1,050 by early summer to run gas stations, shops and other
tourist businesses. Drug use is taken seriously and "we respond very
quickly if we have a need to do so," he said.

Park officials say the concession workers cooperate in investigations and
that other employees often provide tips.

Fors said busy rangers, whose duties range from directing traffic at "bear
jams" to patrolling the park boundaries for poachers, may not be able to
devote the time some law enforcement agencies do to drug sellers and users.

Fors said Yellowstone is trying to place more emphasis on drug cases, and
plan to add a drug-sniffing dog.

"The average visitor thinks this is Fantasy Land," Fors said. "People don't
want to believe it can happen here; they want this to be a safe harbor. But
I think criminals may feel like it's Fantasy Land, too."