DRUGS MUST BE REMOVED FROM AREA

The illicit drug trade has been a growing problem for the Lakeway Area. The
Citizen Tribune's pages have been full of stories about meth-lab raids,
marijuana busts and statistics from local law-enforcement agencies pointing
to the growing epidemic.

We realize that for every raid and arrest, there probably are many more
people in our community willing to risk stiff prison sentences to provide
their poison to our citizens.

That's why it's heartening to see that a federal jury in Greeneville
recently convicted three Bybee men for their part in a conspiracy that
supplied cocaine and marijuana to residents of Cocke, Hamblen and Jefferson
counties.

The three were found guilty of conspiracy to distribute large amounts of
addictive poison in our area. They were making huge profits from the sale
of their deadly wares from an auto-salvage business owned by one of the
defendants.

These worms now face the sentencing phase of the legal process on Dec. 3.

We applaud the jury for its decision. We congratulate law enforcement for
its diligent work in stemming the ever-mounting tide of illegal drugs. And
we strongly urge the sentencing judge to lock these parasites away for a
long time. We also believe that it's every citizen's duty to report
suspected drug activity to our law-enforcement agencies. We also see the
need for more and better treatment facilities for those addicted to drugs.

Working together, all segments can help stop this infection creeping into
our lives.