DRUG TRAFFIC 'RISING'

This is the second installment of a four-part series on gangs in Iowa City.

Iowa City is a business opportunity police say gang members can't refuse.

Local law-enforcement officials say gangs have helped fuel the
increasingly active illegal drug traffic in Iowa City and on the UI
campus, where demand for illegal substances runs high.

Iowa City police filed nearly 450 drug charges in 2000, compared with
365 the year before and a little more than 160 in 1995. The increase
reveals gang activity in the area because the groups concentrate
where drugs are sold, said Iowa City Police Chief R.J. Winkelhake.

"When you find one, you find the other," he said. "I don't think
there's much doubt about that."

Approximately 10 to 25 percent of individuals charged with drug-
related offenses in Iowa City have some connection to a gang, said
Chris Akers, the Iowa City police drug investigator. The percentage
includes full-fledged gang members as well as people "in the fringes"
who just hang out with them, he said.

'A very attractive area for drug dealers'

Drug offenses have increased on the UI campus, as well, although UI
Public Safety officials say none have been linked directly with gang
activity. Last year, Public Safety received more than 120 reports of
drug violations, more than double the number in 1999 and a 60-fold
increase over 1990. Most of the offenses involved marijuana use in
residence halls, said Public Safety Associate Director Duane Papke.

Gang members and other drug dealers target high-population areas such
as student neighborhoods around campus, Winkelhake said.

"Anytime you have a number of people, there's a certain amount of
encouragement for drug dealers," he said.

Drug dealers find university campuses especially appealing because of
the large number of independent young adults in the area, Winkelhake
said.

"You have a lot of people away from home for the first time, making
major decisions on their own for the first time," he said. "It's a
very attractive area for drug dealers."

Following the drug traffic

Gangs tend to be associated with harder drugs such as crack and
powder cocaine, and they come from major cities across the country,
Akers said. Local gang members come from Chicago, Minneapolis,
Milwaukee, Davenport, and even Los Angeles, he said.

"A lot of crack cocaine will come up from the Chicago area," Akers said.

Police discover most of the drug dealers they arrest because of tips
from the public, Winkelhake said. People often report suspicious
activity in neighbors' homes, including frequent short-term visits
and the smell of drugs, Akers said.

Some of those tips come from drug dealers themselves. Individuals
wishing to control drug sales in an area will sometimes report the
dominant drug dealer in the area, Winkelhake said. Police arrest the
accused drug dealers, and their informants move in, he said.

"Then, you arrest the people who reported it down the road,"
Winkelhake said. "It happens enough for officers to be aware of it."

Tips from the public have led to many of the methamphetamine-related
arrests made by Iowa City police. Grocery and convenience stores now
commonly alert police when individuals purchase methamphetamine-
precursors.

Mexican gangs have helped contribute to the dramatic increase in meth
use in recent years, Akers said.

Police uncovered eight dangerous labs in Johnson County and the
surrounding area this year; they found one last year. The labs
produce poisonous fumes and can explode, endangering the lives of
those producing the drugs, police, and neighbors.

A variety of drugs are available in Iowa City, Akers said.

"The No. 1, of course, as far as use is going to be marijuana," he
said. "We're also running into, on a regular basis, methamphetamine,
crack cocaine, Ecstasy, and powder cocaine."

UI surveys, busts indicate increased use

The use of cocaine and designer/club drugs among UI students has
increased dramatically since 1995, according to surveys at Student
Health. Use of marijuana and alcohol, however, has remained the same,
relatively.

Surveys done this October revealed that approximately 8 percent of
students had used amphetamines, compared with 5.6 percent in 1995.
The same surveys showed that approximately 8 percent of the surveyed
students had used club drugs, including Ecstasy, compared with 2.4
percent in 1995.

The surveys, conducted every other year since 1989, ask a random
selection of approximately 500 students if they have used specific
drugs in the last 30 days.

The increased number of reported drug violations on campus reflects
stricter enforcement of dormitory regulations, Papke said. "I would
attribute the increase in statistics to better reporting by
residence- hall staff," he said.

Dorm officials and residents are more vigilant about reporting crimes
because of the university's zero-tolerance policy, Papke said. Under
the policy, any student found with illegal drugs or alcohol in the
dorms is prohibited from living there.

Other university officials disagreed, saying students are simply
using more drugs. Residence-hall officials have always reported every
suspected drug offense, regardless of the zero-tolerance policy, said
Tom Baker, the university's assistant dean of students.

In academic year 1999-00, residence-hall officials received 84
complaints of suspected drug use and suspended 40 students from the
dorms for drug violations. They received 55 complaints in 1997-98 and
suspended 16 students.