A federal drug sweep by the FBI and local and county police netted 33 gang members in Westchester County and lots of discussion by readers on drug problems in the Lower Hudson Valley and beyond. Here’s what people are saying about the raid, which was carried out last night and this morning.
One reader had this to say about the raid:
Outstanding. Keep up the good work. Drugs are the No. 1 menace to society, regardless of where you live, or your income level.
Another added:
Really what it all comes down to is money. There is so much money in this stuff that it’s hard to get to the root of it. If this puts a crimp in (criminal activity) and takes 33 gang members off the street, not a bad thing. Let’s remember that the gang members do more than deal drugs so other criminal activities are affected.
A third added:
OK, that’s the first step. The next one is to get them tried, convicted and sentenced quickly. No bail, no technicalities, and please, if any are here illegally, let’s put them on an airplane back to where they came from. It’s a start.
A few readers had praise for the law enforcement agencies involved, such as this comment:
Wow! Nice job everyone!
Another person wrote:
Kudos to law enforcement for doing their job, now the justice system must do it’s job and put these guys away for good.
One reader, who saw the sweep in progress, had this to say:
Thanks for informing LoHud. I work across the street from the building and all of my co-workers were wondering what was going on!
And a few readers, like this one, wondered how things might be different if drugs were legal:
The so-called war on drugs is a joke. If drugs weren’t illegal the black market opportunities that they present wouldn’t exist. There would be far less violence and gang activity if drugs weren’t illegal and therefore worth so much money. Of course, then we wouldn’t need half of the policemen, corrections officers and court workers that we have now. We wouldn’t need to build as many jails, etc. I guess a lot of people’s livelihoods are tied to drugs on both sides of the law.
Seth Harrison/The Journal News
A van carrying prisoners leaves a processing center in Elmsford today. Federal and local law enforcement agencies arrested more than 40 people starting late Monday night throughout Westchester County after a months-long drug dealing investigation. Those arrested were processed at a warehouse used by Westchester County and then transported to U.S. courthouse in White Plains.