The Cuban had a lean, ascetic face; he actually looked more like a French doctor in a movie or a character from Chekhov than a big-time dealer.

"They are big-time dealers," Mr. Ward said, adding that it was not unusual for them to be making millions of dollars selling drugs.

"That would let judges throw the book at the big-time dealers," Mr. Gangi said, "and more sensibly sentence people who are no real danger to anyone."

The dead guy used to be a big-time dealer.

He said Roger wasn't a big-time dealer but a cocaine addict who was selling the stuff to support his habit.

It may take two weeks or a month to replace the big-time dealers in a neighborhood; it may take 30 seconds to replace the low-level peddler.

Cove didn't respond, so Web said, "Bates said you were on the butts of some big-time dealers, that they might have set up my team."

As for the big-time dealers, more than one of them would seem to be waiting until it is almost insolently late before revealing his hand.

"Ken was more than a dime-bag dealer, but he wasn't a big-time dealer," said Sgt. James Riccio of the Brick Police Department.