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Bluelighter
How drug dealers lure juveniles into the drug world
Jason Nark
Philadelphia Daily News
10.10.08
In Camden, there are two ways of looking at a guy like William Hohney.
Police see him as a hustler, an ex-con who jumped back into selling crack and heroin months after being released from prison.
But one 14-year-old boy saw Hohney, 22, as a different kind of hustler - the kind who made money any way he could in one of the nation's poorest cities.
The 14-year-old thought the two were friends, but law-enforcement officials say Hohney and countless other dealers in Camden simply use the juveniles to distance themselves from their crimes.
"They employ them to be the lookouts and even to be the dealers. Majority of the lowest-level dealers out there are juveniles," said Lt. Mark Nicholas, commander of Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
Hohney's career will end again later this month in Camden County Superior Court when he's sentenced on five drug charges stemming from an arrest on Nov. 19, 2007, in North Camden.
One of those charges, employing a juvenile in a drug-distribution scheme, is a rare conviction, prosecutors say.
"A lot of times it is really difficult, because the juveniles go to court first. It's a lot easier for the juveniles to take responsibility," said Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Lesley Sokel. "They go first and cop to the plea."
If and when the juveniles are captured, Nicholas said, they enter a different justice system, one geared toward rehabilitation rather than punishment.
They don't seem to mind taking the rap for their bosses and building up "street cred," he said.
"The kids love it," Sokel said.
"They're making a name for themselves and see it as a career-advancement opportunity."
On the day of Hohney's arrest, state troopers on patrol in North Camden saw a car driving slowly around a known drug area at 7th and York streets.
Eventually, a woman got out of the car, approached Hohney and handed him some cash.
But it was the 14-year-old who delivered the drugs to the car: six bags of crack and two bags of heroin.
During Hohney's trial, the juvenile took full responsibility for the drugs, saying they were his for personal use, Sokel said.
"[Hohney] really thought he was golden with this kid," Sokel said.
But Sokel said the juvenile's testimony was contradictory and inconsistent, and a jury still convicted Hohney in August of employing a minor, among other charges.
Getting kids to see cops as the "good guys" is a constant battle in Camden, Nicholas said.
"Say we hit a house and mommy and daddy are there - little kids are always a casualty," he said. "We think we're doing the right thing and they think they're doing the right thing. That's emblazoned on their mind."
Det. Derwin Pearson, a 10-year police veteran who's involved in youth programs, said he's tried to be a role model for hundreds of kids in the city.
"Just because this city is a so-called 'bad' city, it doesn't mean you can't make it," he said. "I was born and raised here and so were doctors, other police officers and firemen."
Pearson says department youth-development programs like the Multi-Agency Life Line, the anti-drug DARE, in-school resource officers and the Police Athletic League have made inroads and affected the city's youth.
"We need more and more positive experiences between the youth and the Police Department," he said.
Pearson, an assistant football coach at Camden High, also believes sports are more important there than in surrounding suburban communities.
"In many ways, sports have been a saving grace in this city," he said.
When asked about the temptation to sell drugs, a group of Camden teens at an area after-school program said they're simply smart about it.
"I've thought about doing it plenty of times," said Chris, 15, who didn't want to give his last name.
"It would be easy for me to get involved. Everybody gets caught though."
Rick Gonzalez, 17, said he can't always look down on his peers for selling drugs.
"Some people, say 'My mom can't always give me money and that makes me do anything,' " he said.
"I already have everything I need."
But Nicholas says dealers will always be trying to convince juveniles that they need more.
"They may think riding a bike around saying the police are in the area is no big deal," he said. "You become part of that whole network bringing things down though."
Link!
Jason Nark
Philadelphia Daily News
10.10.08
In Camden, there are two ways of looking at a guy like William Hohney.
Police see him as a hustler, an ex-con who jumped back into selling crack and heroin months after being released from prison.
But one 14-year-old boy saw Hohney, 22, as a different kind of hustler - the kind who made money any way he could in one of the nation's poorest cities.
The 14-year-old thought the two were friends, but law-enforcement officials say Hohney and countless other dealers in Camden simply use the juveniles to distance themselves from their crimes.
"They employ them to be the lookouts and even to be the dealers. Majority of the lowest-level dealers out there are juveniles," said Lt. Mark Nicholas, commander of Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
Hohney's career will end again later this month in Camden County Superior Court when he's sentenced on five drug charges stemming from an arrest on Nov. 19, 2007, in North Camden.
One of those charges, employing a juvenile in a drug-distribution scheme, is a rare conviction, prosecutors say.
"A lot of times it is really difficult, because the juveniles go to court first. It's a lot easier for the juveniles to take responsibility," said Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Lesley Sokel. "They go first and cop to the plea."
If and when the juveniles are captured, Nicholas said, they enter a different justice system, one geared toward rehabilitation rather than punishment.
They don't seem to mind taking the rap for their bosses and building up "street cred," he said.
"The kids love it," Sokel said.
"They're making a name for themselves and see it as a career-advancement opportunity."
On the day of Hohney's arrest, state troopers on patrol in North Camden saw a car driving slowly around a known drug area at 7th and York streets.
Eventually, a woman got out of the car, approached Hohney and handed him some cash.
But it was the 14-year-old who delivered the drugs to the car: six bags of crack and two bags of heroin.
During Hohney's trial, the juvenile took full responsibility for the drugs, saying they were his for personal use, Sokel said.
"[Hohney] really thought he was golden with this kid," Sokel said.
But Sokel said the juvenile's testimony was contradictory and inconsistent, and a jury still convicted Hohney in August of employing a minor, among other charges.
Getting kids to see cops as the "good guys" is a constant battle in Camden, Nicholas said.
"Say we hit a house and mommy and daddy are there - little kids are always a casualty," he said. "We think we're doing the right thing and they think they're doing the right thing. That's emblazoned on their mind."
Det. Derwin Pearson, a 10-year police veteran who's involved in youth programs, said he's tried to be a role model for hundreds of kids in the city.
"Just because this city is a so-called 'bad' city, it doesn't mean you can't make it," he said. "I was born and raised here and so were doctors, other police officers and firemen."
Pearson says department youth-development programs like the Multi-Agency Life Line, the anti-drug DARE, in-school resource officers and the Police Athletic League have made inroads and affected the city's youth.
"We need more and more positive experiences between the youth and the Police Department," he said.
Pearson, an assistant football coach at Camden High, also believes sports are more important there than in surrounding suburban communities.
"In many ways, sports have been a saving grace in this city," he said.
When asked about the temptation to sell drugs, a group of Camden teens at an area after-school program said they're simply smart about it.
"I've thought about doing it plenty of times," said Chris, 15, who didn't want to give his last name.
"It would be easy for me to get involved. Everybody gets caught though."
Rick Gonzalez, 17, said he can't always look down on his peers for selling drugs.
"Some people, say 'My mom can't always give me money and that makes me do anything,' " he said.
"I already have everything I need."
But Nicholas says dealers will always be trying to convince juveniles that they need more.
"They may think riding a bike around saying the police are in the area is no big deal," he said. "You become part of that whole network bringing things down though."
Link!
