Pubdate: Tue, 12 Dec 2000
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2000 The Dallas Morning News
Contact:  P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265
Fax: (972) 263-0456
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Author: Manolo Barco

ANTI-HEROIN EFFORTS PLEASE PLANO POLICE

Recent Convictions Are Called Encouraging, But Officials Say 
Investigations Will Continue

COLLIN COUNTY - The convictions in Sherman last week of four men on 
federal drug trafficking charges leave five people at large in an 
area heroin-conspiracy investigation.

On Thursday, a federal jury found Jesus Carbajal, 21; Julian Solis 
Perez, 35; Andres Milan, 33; and Favian Ramos, 24, guilty of 
conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine in Plano. The four are 
being held at an undisclosed federal prison and are scheduled for 
sentencing by U.S. District Judge Paul Brown on March 23, officials 
said. Each faces a maximum of life in prison and a $4 million fine, 
officials said.

"We are happy with the verdicts," Plano Police Department spokesman 
Carl Duke said. "It reinforces our efforts we have had here with our 
fight against drugs."

In 1997, the Police Department reacted to a rash of heroin-related 
deaths involving young people who lived or attended school in the 
Plano area. The next year, local and federal officials announced the 
indictments of 29 people in connection with the heroin-related deaths 
of four teenagers who had Plano ties. All but one were convicted.

"The availability of heroin in Plano is much less than it was in the 
'90s," Officer Duke said. "But it's not totally gone. It will never 
be totally gone. If someone wants a drug they will find it. Just 
because we have these convictions, our investigations have not 
stopped. If we trace narcotics back to dealers, we will prosecute in 
the same fashion."

Thursday's verdicts were a result of investigations conducted by the 
Collin/Denton Counties Drug Task Force into black-tar heroin and 
cocaine trafficking in Dallas, Plano and several other area cities, 
officials said. In May, 32 people were indicted on federal drug 
charges as a result of that operation, police said. Twenty-one have 
pleaded guilty, one defendant is being evaluated to determine whether 
he is competent to stand trial, another had charges dismissed and 
five remain at large.

Duncan Woodford, a spokesman with the U.S. Attorney's Office, 
applauded the task force for getting his office vital evidence to 
present to the jury during the four-day trial. About 30 audiotaped 
conversations were introduced, along with handguns and heroin 
samples, officials said.

That evidence helped link the four men to two organizations that were 
run out of the Dallas and Denton areas, officials said. The groups 
used sophisticated techniques to distribute the drugs, officials have 
said.

Using drugs imported from California and Mexico, the groups fielded 
calls - usually from cellular telephones - and met potential buyers 
at public places such as gas stations before making the transactions, 
police said. In at least three instances, the ring was identified as 
the supplier of heroin that resulted in deaths, including that of 
former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Mark Tuinei in May 1999.

On Monday, Mr. Woodford said the task force would continue to search 
for the remaining suspects.

"The case remains open," he said.

This story also appears in the Plano Morning News.
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