SOUTH LOS ANGELES : Grand Jury Indicts 9 in Drug Distribution Ring
A federal grand jury indicted seven men on charges of running a national cocaine and crack ring that allegedly supplied drugs to street gangs in South Los Angeles, the U.S. attorney’s office announced this week.
Two of those men and an eighth suspect were indicted for conspiring to distribute PCP, and one of them also is charged with beating a government informant with a tire iron. Another defendant was indicted on a separate count of distributing crack cocaine.
Derrick Bines, the lead suspect in the case, was arrested at his Corona home July 2 by FBI agents and Corona police. Squads of agents and officers also raided the organization’s alleged headquarters in Compton, and suspects were arrested at that home and nearby. If convicted, the principal suspects could face life in prison and fines of $4 million each.
Victor Grandy, the man accused of beating the government informant, could face a mandatory life sentence and an $8-million fine. All nine defendants are scheduled to be arraigned next week.
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