With metro

Atlanta fast becoming "a major hub" for illegal drug distribution,

the Fayette County Sheriff's Department is cooperating with other area

agencies to stem the tide of drugs coming here.

Last week,

the new approach paid off big-time, as local officers helped with raids

in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties that got 230 kilos of cocaine, worth about

$8 million, off the street. A total of seven illegal Mexican immigrants

were arrested in the operation, which involved serving six search warrants

at the same time, said Lt. Mike Pruitt of the department's drug suppression

task force.

Local deputies

raided an apartment that contained approximately $1 million in cash, which

was seized, Pruitt said.

Some of the

cocaine seized in the bust was bound to end up in Fayette County, Pruitt

said.

"We're

trying to attack it before it hits the streets," Pruitt said, adding

that Sheriff Randall Johnson and Director of Investigations Bruce Jordan

totally support the effort.

The quantity

of cocaine that was seized eclipsed the total amount of cocaine confiscated

in Atlanta for all of 1999, Pruitt said.

The department

was also involved in two separate busts in June in DeKalb and Clayton

Counties, which led to the confiscation of cocaine and marijuana worth

over $3 million on the street. That DeKalb operation involved cocaine

seized as it was being unloaded from a tractor trailer at a rock quarry.

Locally, the

drug supression unit depends on tips from local residents, said Sgt. Jody

Thomas. While some may hesitate to call in a possible small drug transaction,

that one deal could be the break in a big case the department needs, Thomas

said.

Tipsters may

remain anonymous and they do not have to testify in court, Pruitt added.

But it can be very helpful to stay in touch with a tipster periodically

to help monitor the neighborhood, Pruitt added.

The federal

Drug Enforcement Administration office in Atlanta has been key to the

regional approach to fighting drug traffickers, Pruitt said.

"A lot

of the success is because of the DEA's aggressiveness," Pruitt said.

Pruitt said

Atlanta has become "a major hub for narcotics" and drugs shipped

there are repackaged and sold in Atlanta suburbs including Fayette County.

The funds confiscated

in the raids will be shared by the department who participated in the

raids, including Clayton, Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.

The Tyrone

Police Department also participates with the sheriff's department on the

drug suppression task force.

Pruitt said

the funds from drug seizures are used to buy equipment for the sheriff's

department.