Police arrest 15 people in drug, gun trafficking ring
Group allegedly linked to multiple shootings
Police arrested 15 people Tuesday in what federal prosecutors say was a violent drug-trafficking ring investigators tracked for years.
Authorities recovered two dozen guns, 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin from the arrests, which took place across Milwaukee and Mississippi, said Matthew Krueger, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
“In court today, prosecutors alleged that the conspiracy was connected to multiple shootings and homicides in the Milwaukee area,” Krueger said at a news conference Tuesday. “The indictment alleges the defendants maintained a lethal arsenal.”
Jimmy D. Bates, 43, of Milwaukee led the ring, Krueger said. Bates and Marville Payne, 41, of Milwaukee are charged with possessing a Striker 12gauge shotgun, also known as a Street Sweeper. It’s a South African-made gun with a revolving magazine that the U.S. federal government classifies as an illegal “destructive device.”
Bates and Payne are among 13 others charged in the indictment with weapons and drug charges. They are: Calvin Nash, 43; Tavaris Cain, 41; Wayne Potts Jr., 35; Montel D. Ivory, 27; Dujuan Harrison, 37; Jebar Cannon, 39; Jason Ashley, 40; Paul Parker, 35; Devon Wooten, 34; Dontelle Carr, 47; Shinae Castine, 32; Marlon D. Pickens, 41 — all of Milwaukee — and Anthony Meeks, 32, of Mississippi.
A series of other guns are listed in the indictment, including handguns and semiautomatic rifles.
Krueger could not say which shootings could be traced to the trafficking ring, but he and other officials at the news conference said a small number of people commit most violent crimes in Milwaukee.
“It’s not about the large number of arrests, it’s not about the large number of evidence, it’s about addressing the right people that account for these crimes that occur,” Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said.
Officers were mindful of the “grave risks” involved in the operation as they served search and arrest warrants Tuesday, Krueger said. In the past year Milwaukee police officers Michael Michalski and Matthew Rittner were both shot to death when they arrived at homes with warrants. No one was injured in the series of arrests Tuesday.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to the law enforcement officers who conduct operations like this,” Krueger said. “We’re very glad to say everybody’s safe, everybody’s coming home tonight.”
Officials also touted the cooperation between law enforcement agencies that allowed the investigation to take place. They said it was an example that numerous agencies — from the Drug Enforcement Administration to suburban police departments in Wauwatosa, West Allis and Greenfield — could work together to reduce violent crime in the area.