Pubdate: Thu, 10 Feb 2005
Source: Charleston Daily Mail (WV)
Copyright: 2005 Charleston Daily Mail
Contact:  http://www.dailymail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/76
Author: George Gannon
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)

UNDERCOVER OFFICERS BUY, SELL DRUGS AS PART OF CRACKDOWN

Charleston police are stepping up efforts to fight the wave of crime that 
has plagued the West Side and East End by having undercover officers work 
both sides of the drug trade in sting operations.

As a different strategy, undercover officers are not only buying drugs, 
they also are selling them in an effort to stop people from streaming into 
the city in hopes of a quick fix.

A sting operation using both measures started about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and 
ran until midnight, Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster said. A total of 
eight arrests were made.

Because it's possible some of the cases might result in federal charges, 
Webster was unable to provide names, but he said officers made arrests on 
the West Side and the East End.

A man was arrested on the corner of Ruffner Avenue and Washington Street 
East and charged with possession of a controlled substance, and another 
woman was picked up near there on an outstanding meth lab warrant, Webster 
said.

On the West Side, a man was arrested and charged with possession of crack 
cocaine at the corner of Washington Street West and Greendale Drive.

Two crack-related arrests also were made on Second Avenue and another was 
made on Patrick Street.

Webster said officers were making both buys and sells. He said the sells, 
or reversals, were important because they put users on notice.

"That creates the perception that when you come into the city to buy these 
drugs, you might be buying them from a cop," he said.

Three arrests were made on the East End, and five were made the West Side, 
but not all the arrests were drug related.

A woman was arrested and charged with soliciting for prostitution on the 
1300 block of Washington Street East and another was cited for an open 
container violation in front of George's Bar on Washington Street West.

Officers from the Metro Drug Unit, and the city's bike patrol and special 
enforcement units assisted in Wednesday's sting.

"You need a lot of manpower for this type of thing," Webster said.

Because it was cold and rainy Wednesday evening, the chief said he was 
somewhat surprised by the number of people out and the amount of arrests.

This sting comes on the heels of a similar operation last Thursday in which 
two people were arrested on drug charges.

However, the officers on patrol that evening noted that not many people 
were out.

"In the report, he just keeps writing about how desolate it was," Webster said.

Webster said the main goal of the operations like this is to keep drug 
dealers and drug buyers guessing.

"We want to be consistent but not predictable," he said.

Mayor Danny Jones said today the department would keep pressuring troubled 
areas of the city.

"This is just the beginning," Jones said. "We're not letting up."

He said police would continue to up their patrols and officers will "swarm" 
crime-ridden area of the city.

"The word is going out to these bad guys," he said.
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