NCJ Number
108843
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 57 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1988) Pages: 1-6
Date Published
1988
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article details how police dealt with a severe drug abuse and drug dealing problem in Miami, Fla.
Abstract
Miami police modified the traditional sting operation used to capture thieves and burglars and applied it to the capture of drug dealers and users. They added mass arrest techniques, applied civil forfeiture laws, confiscated contraband for bait, and elicited community support for stopping drug dealing in the community. The acronym STING stood for Strategy To Inhibit Narcotics Growth. Phase 1 of STING targeted drug buyers. They were often arrested en masse. Phase 2 used forfeiture laws to seize houses and apartment buildings where drug sales and abuse were carried out. Phase 3 targeted dealers and street sellers of drugs. In carrying out the STING operations, officers were directed to use minimal force. The Miami police found the mass arrests were deterrents to casual users of drugs. They also found that drug purchasers and holders can be persuaded to stop when civil penalties require them to forfeit vehicles, funds, property, or driver's licenses. The Miami police report that operation STING was successful in purging some neighborhoods of drug dealers and users.