EVIDENCE WITHOUT DRUGS HAS UNRAVELED 70 CASES

DALLAS - The cases unfolded -- and unraveled -- one by one: drug bust after
drug bust in which investigators later found little or no drugs in the
evidence that was seized.

The FBI is examining the role of Dallas police and prosecutors in about 70
drug cases, involving more than 40 defendants, dismissed in recent months
after lab tests revealed fake drugs or tiny amounts of drugs mixed with
large amounts of gypsum.

Whether it's a case of corruption or a massive system failure remains to be
seen. But the botched cases have spilled over into the race for district
attorney and angered the newly elected mayor. Some victims have threatened
civil rights lawsuits, and Hispanic advocacy groups are calling for the
resignations of the district attorney, city manager and police chief
because many of the defendants were Mexican nationals.

"It's the worst law enforcement scandal I've heard of in the Northern
District of Texas in the 20 years I've practiced here," said Paul Coggins,
a former U.S. attorney.

The scandal began unfolding last fall, when prosecutors notified Dallas
police of evidence tests showing little or no illegal drugs. But defense
attorneys say they had beseeched District Attorney Bill Hill to look into
the cases long before that.

Hill defends his office, saying his prosecutors were first to discover the
problem and send the evidence for lab tests. He said his staff found a
pattern in some of the cases in early November and within two weeks halted
all prosecutions involving two police officers and their informant, even
though some of those cases may have been valid.

The Police Department placed the two narcotics detectives on administrative
leave.

Police Chief Terrell Bolton has declined requests for interviews with The
Associated Press. The FBI also declined to give details, citing its
investigation.

Glenn White, president of the Dallas Police Association, defended his
suspended colleagues. "They went out and did their job and they happened to
have an informant that is unreliable. The informant realized if he
delivered large amounts, he'd get more money."