OFFICER CHARGED IN POSSESSION OF COCAINE

A New York police officer was charged with drug possession after he was
caught in a sting operation transporting half a kilogram of cocaine in
Upper Manhattan, law enforcement officials said yesterday.

The officer, Derwin Blanks, was suspended without pay and could face
dismissal from the force, the police said. He was held in $15,000 bail
after his arraignment yesterday and could face up to life in prison if
convicted, officials said.

According to the felony complaint, Officer Blanks, 31, who was assigned to
a subway beat in Upper Manhattan, was arrested Monday night after he left a
BMW with half a kilogram of cocaine in the trunk on a street in Washington
Heights. Investigators said he had picked up the cocaine -- worth $15,000
to $20,000 on the street -- as well as a $1,500 cash payment from a police
informer. The police said Officer Blanks then drove to 736 West 173rd
Street, near Fort Washington Avenue, where he left the car for drug dealers
to retrieve.

Law enforcement officials said that the case appeared to be isolated and
that they did not believe it was linked to wider police corruption. In
Manhattan Criminal Court yesterday, Officer Blanks pleaded not guilty
before Judge Arlene R. Silverman, said John P. Tynan, a Patrolmen's
Benevolent Association lawyer. Mr. Tynan said he believed Officer Blanks
was set up by a criminal defendant "looking to lower his sentence" by
cooperating with the authorities. "I think he's clearly innocent of being
involved in drugs," Mr. Tynan said of Officer Blanks.