SUPPLY OF ILLEGAL DRUGS SHRINKS

Some Regional Counties Worry With Prices Up, Addicts Will Steal More

The supply of illegal drugs in several Carolinas counties has been
dwindling since Sept. 11 because of increased security along U.S.
borders, police say.

The scant supply of cocaine, crack and marijuana has driven up prices,
which some worry could lead desperate addicts to steal more to support
their habit. Others say the situation is leading addicts to abuse more
prescription drugs and methamphetamine, which can be cheaply made with
over-the-counter drugs and other readily available products.

Union and Rowan counties, the city of Hickory, and the S.C. counties
of York, Lancaster and Chester are among some of the areas that have
recently seen a change in the availability and/or price of drugs.

Hickory police Sgt. Chris LaCarter said the price of drugs has
increased about 11percent in his area. He said the marijuana supply
has decreased in part because harvest season is about to begin. But he
said tightened security along the U.S.-Mexico border has also been a
factor.

"The border is locked down pretty hard right now, harder than it's
been in many years," LaCarter said. "It's harder to get the drugs
across in the conventional ways."

Immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks, inspectors along the borders
drastically increased searches, a practice that continues. Drug
smugglers held back their shipments in hopes the increased security
would end soon, said Roger Maier, a U.S. Customs spokesman in El Paso,
Texas.

"They (smugglers) noticed immediately that we went to this heightened
security alert and really reduced the number of drug shipments they
were sending across the border," said Maier.

"Every car was being searched, and they didn't want to run the risk of
being caught."

Before the attacks, customs inspectors typically checked vehicles
quickly, releasing about 90percent into the United States without a
thorough inspection, Maier said.

But with a renewed focus on catching would-be terrorists, inspectors
are now poking and prodding car interiors, opening trunks and hoods,
and asking occupants to get out of their vehicles, customs officials
said.

Informants working for police in the Carolinas have told officers the
tight borders have choked off the drug supply.

In York County, the bulk price of 9 ounces of cocaine jumped from
about $7,000 to $8,000, said Marvin Brown, head of the county's drug
task force.

In Chester County, one dose of crack usually costs $20 for 0.14 grams,
said Lt. Charles Crank of the county's drug enforcement unit. But now,
dealers are giving their customers 0.04 grams for the same price, he
said.

Other drug units, however, such as Mecklenburg and Gaston counties and
Concord, say they haven't seen much change. An official with
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said the drug trade is ever-changing, and
it's too early to tell whether price and supply changes in other areas
are the result of tightened border security.

Officers said they're happy fewer drugs are on the street. But some
noted it could result in an increase in certain crimes such as robbery.

And officers in Lancaster County, S.C., and Rowan County say they've
seen more addicts turning to prescription drugs and methamphetamine,
which are easier to get because they don't have to be shipped across a
border.

Officials don't expect supply to be down for long. In the past couple
of weeks, customs agents have noticed that traffickers are again
trying to get their goods across the border.

Vincent Bond, a U.S. Customs spokesman based in San Diego, said he
believes smugglers grew impatient waiting for the inspections to die
down. He said with their drugs piling up in Mexico and their own
payroll demands to meet, many traffickers are willing to take the risk
of being caught.

"Smuggling has not taken a holiday," Bond said. "It's come back with a
vengeance."