DEA team nabs drug suspects

More than a dozen suspected gang members and their associates from California were arrested Wednesday in the Spokane area by a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration regional task force.

Other arrests are planned, authorities said, and the case could become one of the largest gang-related series of arrests ever carried out in Spokane.

Those arrested are accused of selling or possessing crack cocaine, obtained from Los Angeles-area gangs and brought to Spokane for sale, authorities said.

The total amount of crack cocaine involved in the investigation wasn’t disclosed.

The case may highlight what police and federal drug officials said is a growing gang and drug-distribution problem in Spokane.

If convicted, some of those arrested who have prior felony-drug convictions may face mandatory minimum terms of at least 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Jim McDevitt and a spokesman for the DEA were in court Wednesday afternoon for initial appearances by the first half-dozen suspects.

But McDevitt and the DEA spokesman declined public comment until other arrests were made.

A complete list of the suspects’ names wasn’t immediately available from court officials.

Those given initial court appearances included Anthony D. Johnson, Shannon Weaver and Jerome Williams, whose ages and hometowns were not available.

They appeared in a federal courtroom in Spokane at a video conference hearing conducted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Leavitt in Yakima.

Complying with requests from assistant U.S. attorneys Russell Smoot and Aine Ahmed, the federal judge ordered all defendants held without bail until detention hearings next week.

McDevitt and the new regional DEA boss, Rodney G. Benson, are scheduled to hold a press conference today to outline additional details of the case.

The federal officials are expected to be joined by Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk and Spokane police Chief Roger Bragdon. Officers from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the Spokane Police Department are assigned to the DEA’s regional drug task force.

Suspects were arrested on federal drug distribution and conspiracy charges contained in various secret indictments returned Tuesday by a federal grand jury panel in Spokane.