SENIORS CAUGHT UP IN DRUG TRADE

Appalachian Jails Hold More Elderly

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. -- After being fingerprinted and photographed,
87-year-old Dottie Neeley sat quietly in the local jail, imprisoned as
much by the tubing from her oxygen tank as the concrete and steel
surrounding her. Neeley, who sometimes uses a wheelchair, is among a
growing number of senior citizens charged in a crackdown on the
illegal trade of prescription drugs, a crime that authorities say is
rampant in the mountains of central Appalachia.

Floyd County jailer Roger Webb said seniors have a ready market for
their prescription pills, especially painkillers, and some may be
giving in to the temptation of illegally selling their
medications.

"When a person is on Social Security, drawing $500 a month, and they
can sell their pain pills for $10 apiece, they'll take half of them
for themselves and sell the other half to pay their electric bills or
buy groceries," Webb said.

Since April last year, the anti-drug task force Operation UNITE has
charged more than 40 people 60 or older with selling drugs in the
mountains of Eastern Kentucky. It's a trend that Webb said has been
growing over the past five years, since police began their crackdown
on illegal sales of prescription drugs.

"It used to be a rare occasion to have an elderly inmate," Webb said.
Webb said local jails are having to bear the increased cost of caring
for aging inmates.

"You've got to give them more attention," he said. "It's putting a
strain on my deputies. We're understaffed anyway. You've got to get
them doctors, and meet their medical needs."

In nearby Pike County, jailer Rodney Scott said the overall increase
in elderly inmates has been small but noticeable. He said senior
citizens have more health problems than younger inmates do, which
means they require more time and attention from his staff.

The Rev. Doug Abner, pastor of Community Church in Manchester and an
anti-drug crusader, said seniors may not understand the seriousness of
selling prescription drugs.

"They justify it because they're having a hard time financially," he
said. "Left to ourselves, we can justify anything, but they're really
part of the problem."