NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Bennett Fears Rise in Cocaine Violence

A shortage of cocaine indicated by rising prices in some cities may trigger increased violence as “the same number of dogs” compete for “a smaller number of bones,” national drug control director William J. Bennett predicted. He said wholesale price increases found by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Los Angeles and New York indicate there is a shortage, a conclusion the DEA itself has not yet drawn. “It looks as if we are beginning to have positive effect on the flow of cocaine into this country,” Bennett said. The DEA said a kilogram of cocaine (2.2 pounds) can fetch as much as $35,000 at wholesale in New York, up from $14,000 to $18,000 last fall, and $25,000 in Los Angeles, where wholesale prices have risen in a similar period from $10,000 per kilogram in lots of 10 or more and $15,000 for smaller amounts.