55 ARRESTED IN DRUG CONSPIRACY

Federal authorities yesterday arrested 55 persons in what Attorney General
John Ashcroft described as the coast-to-coast trafficking of illegal drug
paraphernalia from both stores and the Internet.

The arrests by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by
the U.S. Marshals Service, the Secret Service, the U.S. Customs Service and
the Postal Inspection Service, were part of an undercover investigation
known as Operation Pipe Dreams.

The arrests targeted suspected paraphernalia dealers from Pennsylvania to
California and began after federal grand juries in several states returned
more than three dozen indictments in the probe.

In addition, nine persons were indicted in Des Moines, Iowa, in a separate
probe known as Operation Headhunter, which targeted $2 million worth of
paraphernalia marketed by distributors in Michigan, California and Texas.

"With the advent of the Internet, the illegal drug paraphernalia industry
has exploded," Mr. Ashcroft said at a press conference to announce the
arrests. "The drug paraphernalia business is now accessible in anyone's home
with a computer and Internet access. And in homes across America, we know
children and young adults are the fastest-growing Internet users.

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

Federal law defines drug paraphernalia as those products primarily intended
or designed to be used in ingesting, inhaling or otherwise using controlled
substances, and include devices such as miniature scales, substances for
"cutting" raw narcotics, water and marijuana pipes, roach clips, miniature
spoons and cocaine freebase kits.

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

Those arrested were charged with conspiracy to sell and offering to sell
various types of drug paraphernalia.

The government said all those arrested "knowingly, intentionally and
unlawfully sold the items for use with illegal narcotics."

Authorities said many of the items were disguised as common objects such as
highlighting pens and lipsticks to elude detection as drug paraphernalia and
were marketed using code names and symbols.

"These criminals operate a multimillion-dollar enterprise, selling their
paraphernalia in headshops, distributing out of huge warehouses, and using
the worldwide Web as a worldwide paraphernalia market," Mr. Brown said.

John P. Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy, said the aggressive marketing of drug paraphernalia is illegal and
has been "an active affront" to the efforts of parents, educators and
community leaders trying to help young people stay away from dangerous
drugs.

"Today's actions send a clear and unambiguous message to those who would
poison our children: We will bring you to justice, and we will act
decisively to protect our young people from the harms of illegal drugs," Mr.
Walters said.

Federal law provides for a maximum sentence of three years in prison, a fine
of $250,000, or both, for each count charged.