DALLAS, TULIA SISTER CITIES IN WAR ON DRUGS

It is interesting that the opinions of Alan Bean ("Sting still burns.
..." and Ruben Navarrette ("Fake drugs reveal real immigration
problem") were published in the same edition of the Amarillo Globe-
News (Jan. 26).

While the columns take entirely different tacks, "gypsum-gate" in
Dallas and the Coleman sting in Tulia have much in common.

In both instances, the evidence against those arrested consisted of
baggies of a white substance brought in by an undercover agent. In
Dallas, upon testing, the substance proved to be finely ground gypsum,
the main ingredient of Sheetrock. In Tulia, testing revealed that the
substance contained cocaine, but in minute amounts.

But under our drug laws, if any illegal substance is present in a
sample, the entire weight of the sample is considered to be illegal
substance. An ounce of baking powder containing even a trace of
cocaine is, legally, an ounce of cocaine.

There's money to be made in the undercover business. If indeed the
informant in Dallas purchased methamphetamines and turned in ground
Sheetrock, what happened to the drugs? If indeed Tom Coleman purchased
street-strength cocaine in Tulia and turned in baggies of weak stuff,
what happened to the street-strength stuff?

The possibility of inordinate profits is just too tempting to send
people out to work undercover unsupervised. A good cop may be tempted
to go bad. Other evidence must corroborate the testimony of undercover
agents unless we are willing to imprison innocent people in the name
of the war on drugs.

The difference between gypsum-gate and Tulia-gate is that in Dallas,
the press is asking hard questions, and the district attorney's office
has come to the conclusion that it is more important to get to the
truth than to get convictions.

The Rev. Charles Kiker

Tulia