TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Tucson will have less money to fight drug criminals after the federal government announced it's cutting grant money totaling $27,936, or 7.2 percent.

The cuts will hit the city attorney's drug/forfeiture section especially hard.

During the last fiscal year, from July 1, 2007, to June 30, the unit was awarded $422,235 in assets seized from criminal enterprises, according to a memo from Tucson Assistant City Manager Richard Miranda to the City Council.

Last fiscal year, the unit prosecuted more than 5,500 criminal drug cases resulting in more than $616,000 in fines paid to the city, the memo said.

In the last fiscal year, the City Attorney's Office was granted $388,000 to operate the anti-drug/forfeiture office.

This year, the office gets $360,064, the memo said.

"This is not going to compromise our anti-drug effort. It doesn't help, but, it is not something that's going to have a big effect," said City Attorney Michael Rankin.

Rankin added there will be no layoffs at the unit and that the city will make up the shortfall through city funding.

The unit consists of two drug prosecutors, one law clerk, a legal secretary and one court clerk, the memo said.

Funding has decreased over a number of years as more federal money goes into homeland security measures, Rankin said.

The city council is to vote Wednesday on a contract with the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission for the funds.

The commission administers federal grant funds.

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Information from: Tucson Citizen, http://www.tucsoncitizen.com

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