Police know who the key druglords are but are powerless to convict without evidence, Assistant Police Commissioner Bryan Bell has admitted.

But he said new laws to seize the dealers' assets without securing a criminal conviction could curb a trade which some estimate to be worth around $200 million per annum.

Sources say there are around a dozen key players in Bermuda's booming drugs market controlling about 80 percent of the market but Mr. Bell would not be drawn. He told The Royal Gazette: "There is a significant problem which clearly outstrips the resources Police and other agencies have to combat it effectively.

"People I am convinced have no involvement with drug dealing but who have lived in Bermuda all their lives are able to identify names of people they know have made their livelihood from drug dealing over many years.

"One of the problems is people continue to see these people with the trappings of success created by the misery they have brought to other families.

"Every mother who sees their son coming home with a drug problem and stealing from their home has to deal with how these drug dealers manufacture that. A lot of the names passed to me are people I am satisfied have made their money and success from drugs as their main business."

He said many of those named were brought in by Police many times.

"But the reality is the criminal process requires you to have evidence. A lot of these people have become well organised. They will manipulate other people.

"One particular drug dealer quite clearly charms a number of women, makes them 'special' and then uses them. They will take money overseas, buy drugs, bring them back into the country."

Asked if new technology couldn't help crack cases he said: "Still one of the most important aspects of evidence is having witnesses, people who are prepared to come forward."

Probed on how people could hide their money in a tiny jurisdiction which boasts about its counter money-laundering measures Mr. Bell said: "Unfortunately there are many ways. We still have a cash-rich economy.

"A lot of drug dealers' activities are run on cash. They have numerous ways of developing their wealth and attempting to legitimise their assets.

"One of the areas of discussion we are having at the moment is looking at a change in the legislation to provide for what is known as civil forfieture of criminal assets.

"It basically means you can go after someone who you can show to the courts of having gained their money from criminal means without having to necessarily convict them of a criminal offence.

"It's done in the UK at the moment with the asset confiscation agency."

He said Police were in talks with Government on the issue.

"It is early days yet but we have raised these as issues to perhaps assist us in tackling some of the people who are of most concern."

There were a significant number of key players in the drug business said Mr. Bell.

"Some of them find ways of opening businesses to assist them in giving them a degree of respectability but also as a front for their criminal enterprise.

"I think we have a very good intelligence picture of who the main criminals are."

Mr. Bell painted a picture of outwardly 'respectable' figures able to order employees to carry out violent attacks in defence of drug turf.

"We certainly have intelligence in a number of cases which will say they have specifically given instructions for these activities to take place.

"But that is not evidence, unfortunately."

"We are clearly seeing an increase in machete attacks involving groups. Clearly a number of these are in support of drug dealing groups.

"Quite a number of them are involved in territory disputes involving drug dealers."

He said there was often a rough demarcation of drug territory but the machetes came out when the carve-up broke down.