European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 28, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday february 28, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 drug busts hardly put Dent in Supply Biden says Price purify show availability rising Washington a the Large drug seizures announced with fanfare by Law enforcement authorities Are having Little effect on supplies on the Street with dealers simply absorbing them As a Cost of doing business Federal officials say. Historically a manager of drug couriers gives up one courier who is body carrying drugs to take your attention away from four More said Bill Norsworthy a drug enforcement administration agent at the Elpaso Intelli gence Center. People walk away from a Brand new aircraft after one Load and consider that an expense of the trip he said. The same goes for boats automobiles Camp ers. They expect to pay a  a better Way to assess How the unite states is doing in the War on drugs is to ignore the Ballyhoo about drug busts and concentrate on the Price and purity level of drugs on the Street says sen. Joseph r. Biden jr., a Del. For too Long when we be asked whether or not Pur drug strategy is work ing the administration has cited record arrest and seizure data said Biden who chairs the Senate judiciary committee. A Check of Price and purity of drug son the streets Biden said reveals that cocaine and heroin on the streets Are much cheaper and More potent than they were five years  in 1982, cocaine sold at the retail level at a nationwide Range of $2,000 to $3,000 per ounce and was 50 percent to60 percent pure said Dea spokesman Cornelius Dougherty. In 1988, the Street Price of cocaine had dropped to Between $500 and $2,000 per ounce and was 80 percent pure said Dougherty explaining that the information came from drug seizures undercover drug buys intelligence Gath up sen. Joseph r. Biden or. Ered and records seized. The amount of drugs seized is not adent in comparison with what is com ing into the country and being produced domestically said Dea spokesman Mau Rice Hill. Given the uncertainty Over exactly How Large the nation s illegal drug Market is there Are very few solid numbers about anything which gives drug busts and amounts seized a certain authenticity. There is not even a Clear total of the amount of seizures around the country the one number in the Maze of drug statistics that could be expected to be solid. On problem is that Many different agencies May take credit for the same bust. It s a quagmire says coast guard it. Cmdr. Jim Simpson. If you add them up you la find the government claiming it got 10 times what it actually seized. Everyone s trying to make themselves look  Simpson outlined a hypothetical Casein which the Dea provides the Intelli gence on an incoming shipment air Force radar locates the ship a Navy Jet spots the ship the coast guard tracks stand the final seizure is conducted by a local sheriff in Florida. Even if everyone was trying to do the right thing and no one was trying to cheat it would still be a Nightmare to sort out the various claims for responsibility even though the agencies attempt to note when they have assisted and when they have made a seizure alone he said. This problem was noted in 1983 by the general accounting office the investigative Branch of Congress and some Effort shave been made to Correct it. We be tried to get All the Federal agencies to Call in to the Elpaso Intelli gence Center where they give each Sei Zure an identification number in Case other police agencies claim it As Well said Hill who still acknowledged there s no real Way to Tell How much the Federal government seized last year. Norsworthy who is special assistant tothe special agent in charge of the Elpaso Center said that this program of giving each seizure a Federal drug identification number does avoid  however Norsworthy said his Agency has not been providing annual totals for Federal drug seizures and the information it started collecting Only recently is limited because seizures must meet threshold such As a minimum of 1 Pound of cocaine before they arc Given identification numbers. In addition absolutely no one i compiling figures of local police seizures unless they choose to Call in he said. I Don t believe that you will find Good True figure of the total amount of drugs seized said Norsworthy. Robert s. A cinch a spokesman for the House select committee on narcotics abuse and control said lie s not concerned about some duplication of Sei Urc number even if it s being done so Agen cies will look better and possibly get More government Money for their efforts. Those Guys need All the help they can get Weiner said. Committee chairman Charles Rangel d-n.y., does t thin you can overplay the danger and hard work the front lines in Law  disregarding the likelihood of Duplica Tion the Federal agencies Don t make it easy even to add up what they each claim to have seized often maintaining differ ent methods of calculation. Some com pile figures by Calendar years others by fiscal years that Start oct. 1 some report on the number of pounds of drugs seized others on kilograms. Law enforcement agencies also repeat edly seize millions of dollars in drug profits that go unclaimed because any one claiming the Money would have to prove it was his and say where it came from Hill said. I recall a Little old lady Way Back inthe Early 70s who handed me a shoe Box full of $20 Bills and said she was being paid to carry it to a woman in colom Bia Norsworthy said. The woman who disclaimed any knowledge of the con tents or the rightful owner was allowed to continue her trip and the government got the Money since no one claimed it. Self styled wife again arrested in comic s Home new Canaan Conn. A a woman who was caught driving late night talk show Host David Letterman s $80,000 sports car and once broke into his House has been arrested again this time while wandering in the comic s Home police said. Margaret Ray 36, was arrested Friday night and charged with one felony count of trespassing and one Misdemeanour count each of Possession of marijuana and Possession of drug paraphernalia police said sunday. She was being held on $5,000 Bond and was to be arraigned monday. Police capt. Michael Angelastro said he could not say How she got inside the House and declined additional comment. Ray was arrested last May As she was driving let Terman s porsche when police became suspicious because she did t have $3 to pay a toll. At that time Ray identified herself As Letterman wife and introduced her 3-year-old son who was in the car As David Letterman or. Letterman refused to press charges. A few Days later police arrested Ray at letter Man s three bedroom House in new Canaan. She apparently had moved into the House with her son and lived there for a couple of Days while the Star of Abc to s late night with David Letterman washout of town police said. In september a judge ordered her to give up con tact with Letterman except through the mail and to remain at Fairfield Hills Hospital where she had been undergoing psychiatric treatment. She also was ordered to return to her Hometown of Crawford colo., when she was released from the Hospital. Surprise Reward awaits unlucky lottery claimant Sandusky Mich. A about 150 Fame & Fortune instant lottery tickets have been stolen but infamy and misfortune await the thief who tries Tocash them in authorities say. The tickets and several Cartons of cigarettes were the Only items reported missing in the break in at Kate s Korner in Forest Ville said Linda Lane a sheriffs dispatcher. Holders of Fame & Fortune scratch off tickets bearing three to symbols can mail them to the Michigan lottery which conducts a weekly drawing to  six contestants in its televised Fame & Fortune game show. The show offers a top prize of $50,000. Lane said police and lottery officials willbe watching for the stolen tickets which Bear the serial number 223420. Winning tickets bearing that number will be traced to whoever tries to Cash them in she said. Archbishop s plan to Fly own copter prompts criticism safety concerns los Angeles a a roman Catholic archbishop has been Given helicopter but his plan to use it to travel in the 8,300-Square-mile archdiocese of los Angeles has brought out safety con Cerns and criticism of the expense. Archbishop Roger m. Mahony who qualified for a helicopter Pilot s License last summer wants to use the $395,000 Hughes helicopter for visits in his Arch diocese which includes los Angeles Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The 7-year-old helicopter was donated by a group organized by los Angeles Law yer Richard j. Riordan a Friend of the archbishop. The gift includes maintenance operating costs and insurance. Several Catholic High schools and two seminaries have been directed to prepare Landing pads and Landing rights Are being sought in downtown los Angeles where the 53-year-old Mahony lives. The gift has been criticized by advocates for the poor. The problems and needs of the homeless. And the refugee and Immi Grant populations far exceed what i being done by the diocese said Cathe Rine Morris a spokeswoman for the Catholic worker organization. If he ingoing to set a Good example he d say thank you very much and give  the gift also has generated concern among some aviation experts because of the skill needed to Fly a helicopter and the complexity of Southern Californi airspace. Insurance restrictions prevent Mahony from flying alone so an instructor will Fly with him. But some pilots said a Novice at the controls of a helicopter might not be a Good idea in los Angeles crowded skies. He could be asking for a lot of Trou ble said capt. James Kelly a Navy chaplain who is licensed to Fly a helicopter and also holds a commercial Pilot s License and instructor certificate. Flying a helicopter is no easy  has a lot to offer the Church and it might be better for him to just get a Driver and sit and do his work in the Back of the  a news conference about the helicopter was scheduled for tuesday said David Moore executive director of communications for the archdiocese. In the meantime Mahony refused to comment. Anchorage and Fairbanks Alaska an Gallup n.m., dioceses own air planes which Are used by priests to cover expansive rugged terrain