DRUG TRAFFIC 'RISING'

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.