DRUG COURIERS SHIFT TO HIGHWAYS

At least one group of air travelers has cut back on flying since Sept. 11:
couriers who once used the skies to deliver drugs of all sorts to Greater
Cincinnati.

Federal and state officials, attorneys and police officers all say that the
number of arrests and the amount of drugs seized at Cincinnati/Northern
Kentucky International Airport has dropped noticeably since increased
security measures were instituted.

The logical inference, they say, is that the greater likelihood of a random
search of baggage - both checked and carry-on - has scared drug runners away.

But officials caution that dealers haven't given up.

They have simply shifted to the highways and even to the mail to ship large
quantities of cocaine, heroin and marijuana into the area.

"I think it's fair to say, given the increased security, we're seeing fewer
drug courier s using the airports to carry drugs," said Gregory Van
Tatenhove, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

The change in their methods "pos ses a greater challenge for law
enforcement. We'll have to re-double our efforts, because it's still
getting in here."

It certainly is, said Jim Paine, the director of the Northern Kentucky Drug
Strike Force, which concentrates on street-level sales.

"I haven't seen any changes," said Paine.

"If anything, our workload has increased."

It is possible, officials admit, that couriers have gotten smarter going
through the airport and are hiding their drugs better.

But they don't think that's the case for two reasons:

One is that more bags are being searched -- and while drugs aren't the
prime f ocus of the increased security, an agent who finds a bag of cocaine
in someone's luggage will call in airport police to deal with it.

And second is that those who patrol the highways are reporting an increase
in dr ug runners -- particularly those who are carrying large sums of cash,
suspected of being used in drug transactions.

Just last week, Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement officers in Franklin, on the
Kentucky- Tennessee border, became suspicious of a trucker who said he was
hauling an empty trailer from California to Indiana. When they searched his
truck, they said, they found nearly 60 pounds of cocaine and $600,000,
believed to be the largest drug bust ever on Kentucky highways.

The officers are much more aware of the potential of drug runners to use
the highways, said Maj. David Herald, head of special operations for the
enforcement division.

"They're doing a better job of interviewing," Herald said. "I think better
investigations are being done at the roadside - they're asking more
questions and finding out what's happening."

Those who defend drug traffickers in court said their clients aren't
entirely stupid. If they see more searches and more police at the airport,
they'll simply look for other ways to transport drugs.

David Fessler, who often represents those charged with drug trafficking
offenses from the airport that wind up in federal court, said he has seen a
big drop in the number of cases in the past few months. Steve Howe, another
defense attorney, said ever since airport security required definitive
identification of all passengers, drug smugglers have looked for other ways
to transport their wares.

"It would seem to me that with all the stepped-up security at the airport,
those inclined to bring drugs illegally through the airport are not doing
so now," Fessler said. "I'm sure there's another way they are getting here."

Authorities caution that they don't have any numbers yet to back up their
suspicions of less drug traffic at the airport. And Police Chief Chuck
Melville said they haven't wiped out drug trafficking.

"Airport interdiction had been successful to a degree," Melville said. "We
see a move toward highways and shipping (drugs) through freight carriers."

But that trend began even before Sept. 11 and the increased airport
security that followed. And while dealers may be steering clear of the
airport, Melville said, people still are trying to sneak a few ounces of
pot into their suitcases to take back home.

"We've made some good cases, and we have seen a decline in the number of
people flying in with large amounts of drugs," he said. "We're still
finding drugs, but they're more on the user level."