Operation Cleansweep cost Bermuda more than $200,000, it was revealed yesterday. And the new-style Task Force operation has already netted more drug offenders in three months than were arrested in the Cleansweep swoop on street drug dealing, which took four months to set up.

A total of 105 out of the 315 Task Force arrests have been for drugs offences, compared to the figure of around 30 for Cleansweep.

One Task Force swoop netted a man with 62 bags of marijuana, while another was found to have $14,000 worth of drugs and $6,000 in cash.

And the Task Force is set to open its own confidential telephone hotline -- separate from the already-running Crime Stoppers line. A source close to the drugs war on the Island said the Task Force -- commanded by Insp. Stuart Crockwell -- was "one of the unsung success stories'' of the force.

The news came just a week after it was reported that ex-Commissioner Colin Coxall said the joint Bermuda/US Drug Enforcement Administration operation was mounted at "minimal cost'' to the Island. Mr. Coxall added that the DEA officers did not charge for air fare and hotel expenses for the operation.

But nearly half of the $200,000 was spent on air and hotel charges for DEA men coming back to give evidence when Cleansweep cases came to court -- although their operational duties came free.

Task Force working well And the balance of $110,000 went to pay overtime officers from the Bermuda Police Service involved in last year's undercover busts.

The source said: "Cleansweep was a significant operation and a successful one -- it was the first public declaration of a concerted, major focus on drug dealers.

"It was a good operation but a one-off kind of operation -- it was also envisaged that drug dealers would reappear.

"The Task Force has maintained the pressure -- it's been most valuable in preventing dealers coming back onto the streets.'' The source said recent news stories suggested that the battle against drugs had got bogged down following the end of Cleansweep -- and the decision by Mr.

Coxall to quit his post last October.

But he said: "If we want to talk about the successful building on Cleansweep, this is it.'' And he added: "Cleansweep wasn't the first time the DEA has cooperated, perhaps the first time in this manner, but there was cooperation before and since.'' The source added that Task Force officers had also targeted drug abuse at soccer matches and act in support of normal uniformed patrols.

He said: "It's immensely improved Police morale -- previously, uniformed patrols were unable to deal with drug dealers.

"But with Task Force support available, officers on patrol are arresting people for drugs.'' New legislation aimed at confiscating drug dealers assets was passed in January this year.

It was also reported that Mr. Coxall had hoped for a second phase of Cleansweep targeting US drug suppliers once asset-seizing legislation had been introduced -- and that he had expected the six- to nine-month operation to have finished early this year.

But the source said: "They needed to pass legislation as quickly as possible -- but we have to get that kind of thing right.

"It's now in place -- and we have Police and the Attorney General's Chambers training for prosecutions.'' And the source insisted: "There is as much being done -- reform started before Cleansweep and it will continue afterwards.''