55 CHARGED IN DRUG PARAPHERNALIA SALES

WASHINGTON - Federal authorities charged 55 people Monday with trafficking
in illegal drug paraphernalia from coast to coast, using both traditional
stores and the Internet.

A federal grand jury in western Pennsylvania handed up indictments against
27 people as part of "Operation Pipe Dreams," an investigation stretching
from Pittsburgh to Phoenix to southern California, Attorney General John
Ashcroft said.

Another nine people were charged in four grand jury indictments returned in
Des Moines, Iowa, under "Operation Headhunter," which involved
paraphernalia marketed nationwide by distributors in Michigan, California
and Texas.

In all, 55 people were named in nearly three dozen indictments returned
throughout the country.

Federal law makes it a crime to sell products mainly intended for the use
of illegal drugs, including such things as bongs, marijuana pipes, "roach"
clips, miniature spoons and scales. Those charged with selling and
conspiring to sell such items face up to three years on prison and maximum
fines of $250,000.

A search warrant in the Iowa case turned up more than $2 million in illegal
paraphernalia, authorities said.

Ashcroft said the sale of drug paraphernalia has exploded on the Internet,
making it easier for teenagers and young adults to buy it. The items often
are disguised as such things as lipstick cases to escape detection and are
marketed under code names and symbols.

"Quite simply, the illegal drug paraphernalia industry has invaded the
homes of families across the country without their knowledge," Ashcroft
said in a statement. "This illegal, billion-dollar industry will no longer
be ignored by law enforcement."

The Internet sites go by such names as Smokelab.com, Aheadcase.com and
puffpipes.com, according to the Justice Department.

The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration along with
the U.S. Marshals, Secret Service, Customs Service and Postal Inspection
Service.

"People selling drug paraphernalia are in essence no different than drug
dealers," said John Brown, acting DEA chief. "They are as much a part of
drug trafficking as silencers are a part of criminal homicide."