The State - News from Aug. 5, 1985

A tenth suspect in a scheme to get 12,000 pounds of hashish, concealed in hay bales, out of an Oakland Customs Service storage room has been indicted as the “kingpin” in the $25-million enterprise. John Fannin, 45, was indicted on charges that he imported 5,000 pounds of marijuana and the hashish in 10 separate loads dating back to 1978. Customs agents in July, 1984, informed the Drug Enforcement Administration that the hashish and marijuana had arrived at the Port of Oakland on a ship from the Middle East. An undercover agent then met with Fannin and several others who offered the DEA officer money to get the hay out of the Customs storage area. Other arrests were made on Aug. 10, 1984, but Fannin eluded capture until recently.