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BUSTS TARGET 'CLUB SCENE' DRUGS

About 50 suspects wanted on drug charges received an early wake-up call Thursday morning from a multi-parish task force led by the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office. 

In a coordinated, early-morning sweep, the Iberia and St.  Mary sheriff's offices served warrants on more than 50 people for drug-related charges, said Iberia Parish Sheriff Sid Hebert.  About 60 officers hit the streets at 5 a.m.  to serve 105 warrants in Iberia, St.  Mary Vermilion, and other parishes, the majority of which were for drug distribution.  "We expect about a 50 percent catch rate," Hebert said.  "And we also expect to get a better location for some of the people who have moved on us since the warrant was issued."

Hebert said the object of the sweep was to combat long-term problems with loitering and street-level drug dealing in the inner-city areas of Iberia Parish.  In St.  Mary, the operation targeted the "club scene," where drugs like ecstasy and OxyContin were prevalent, said St.  Mary Parish Sheriff's Office Maj.  Steve Clarke. 

The deep-cover operation began earlier this year when the Iberia and St.  Mary sheriff's offices swapped narcotics agents. 

For several months, Hebert said, the agents assumed the profile of drug users in order to gain the confidence of dealers. 

One of the agents lived for six weeks under an assumed name in a new city. 

"I went out to problem areas and night clubs where they knew there was drug activity going on," he said.  "I introduced myself as being new in town, and in the process we started conversing about drugs and it just went from there."

In situations where the agents were unable to get close to the dealers, such as in street-level buys, they used a different approach, he said.  Hidden cameras and surveillance vehicles enabled agents to get a lasting impression of the deal, and agents later picked the suspects out of photo line-ups. 

Agents made buys of both the powdered and crystalline form of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and ecstasy as well as prescription drugs like Xanax and OxyContin.  Those arrested ranged from mid-level dealers to users. 

Hebert said sweep operations offer several advantages over arresting suspects one at a time. 

The suspects are caught off guard before they can warn others, plus the operation makes a statement that drugs will not be tolerated, he said. 

"Hopefully, it will produce a chilling effect," he said. 

Serving some of the warrants was easy - 12 of the suspects were located in jails in other jurisdictions.  Theses suspects are currently being transported back to Iberia and St.  Mary parishes. 

The Iberia, St.  Mary and Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Offices and the Franklin and New Iberia Police Departments were among the more than 15 agencies participating in the round-up. 

The U.S.  Marshal's Service and Louisiana State Police helped clamp down on suspects having connections in other parishes and states.