Elvis Franks of Raiders Is Arrested on Charge of Possession of Cocaine

A member of the Raiders was arrested Tuesday on a charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute for allegedly trying to sell the drug to an undercover FBI agent, authorities said.

Elvis Franks, 30, who lives in South Euclid, a Cleveland suburb, was arrested by FBI agents in a parking lot in neighboring Warrensville Heights.

Officers confiscated about four ounces of a substance believed to be cocaine from Franks’ car and then seized six more ounces of the substance from his residence along with some drug paraphernalia, FBI spokesman John Dunn said.

Franks appeared Tuesday without a lawyer before U.S. Magistrate Jack B. Streepy, who set a $50,000 personal recognizance bond. The magistrate also set an Aug. 10 preliminary hearing. The defensive end told Streepy that he had hired an attorney who was unable to attend Tuesday’s court hearing.

Al LoCasale, a Raiders’ executive assistant and team spokesman, said in Los Angeles: “We have no comment.”

Franks, 6 feet 4 inches, 250-pounds, played with the Cleveland Browns from 1980-84. He began the 1985 season on Cleveland’s injured reserve list and was released midway through that season.

The Raiders signed Franks toward the end of the 1985 season, released him in training camp before last season, then re-signed him for a brief time during the regular season.

He was released again and signed on briefly with the New York Jets. After the Jets let him go, Franks again signed with the Raiders. He is presently on the Raiders’ veterans’ roster.