Camden Police Target Drug Trade

Wednesday night saw shades of Operation Safe Streets in Camden. Police went on a drug-busting mission, in part because of the anti-drug efforts across the river.

After Philadelphia police started Operation Safe Streets a few weeks ago, much of the drug trade moved to Camden. Business has been booming like never before, and the crime rate has skyrocketed.

In its own effort to stop the onslaught, Camden police, joined by other law enforcement agencies, is putting dealers on notice that the party is over.

Camden police, along with over 100 state police troopers, sheriff's officers, and Camden County prosecutors, seemed to be just about everywhere – in uniform and undercover.

The massive operation, dubbed the Camden Anti-Crime Partnership, comes in the wake of skyrocketing violent crime in Camden. The homicide rate is up dramatically, and officers say it seems to have taken a life of its own since Philadelphia police began it's massive effort to drive the drug business out of the city.

Officers were arresting suspects left and right Wednesday night, with people coming in from as far away as Trenton and Delaware to buy their drugs. The police cars were lined up at the county jail waiting to unload suspects under arrest.

But in a city long plagued by drugs and crime, and desperately trying to become the center of South Jersey life with a variety of entertainment attractions, can they truly wipe out the drug trade? Some residents who've seen anti drug wars come and go are a bit skeptical.

However, authorities say that this time there's bad news for those in the drug trade. The cops are here to stay – essentially setting up camps in different drug corners as they are doing daily in Philadelphia.

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Author: 6 ABC-AP