FEDS SAY D.M. MAN WAS KEY IN GLOBAL DRUG RING

Authorities Say Derek Thompson Was At The Center Of The Scheme

The letter from Derek "Smoke" Thompson's former neighbor arrived at the
Polk County Courthouse in January 2003, about three months into Thompson's
first real prison sentence, and its words pleaded urgently for a second chance.

Thompson, whose name now adorns roughly 100 Iowa court files, was looking
at five years for possessing 83 grams of marijuana.

Before entering prison, he had been out on appeal for a year, gone through
rehab and opened a car-cleaning business. Thompson was a changed man,
Ronnie Cyprus wrote to Judge Scott Rosenberg. He had "turned his life of
crime into a life that is pleasing to others" and now stood as "an
inspiration to those who may be following the same path he once traveled."

Thompson, who quickly got his early release, has been back on his old path
for a while, according to U.S. authorities.

Federal prosecutors have named Thompson, 25, as the center point of 30
arrests made in Des Moines last week as part of an international drug
investigation that touched two foreign countries and 27 distribution rings
in four U.S. cities.

Court papers describe overheard cell-phone conversations where Thompson
repeatedly ordered quarter-kilograms of cocaine, at least some of which was
sold from his now-closed auto detailing shop.

Platinum Plus, located amid a cluster of used car lots at the intersection
of Euclid Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in Des Moines, was
known for its sporadic weekend traffic. Some days, dozens of drivers would
stop, walk inside and stay less than five minutes, said one dealership
official who refused to give his name.

"You don't have to be a genius to know that something wasn't right there,"
he said.

Thompson, a longtime Des Moines resident, remains in federal custody while
a defense lawyer tries to make sense of his extensive criminal history
before arguing for a possible release on bond.

Thompson's long arrest record centers largely on driving without a license
and a handful of domestic assaults. All are misdemeanors except the case in
which Cyprus pleaded for leniency.

Thompson smiled broadly before a court hearing Thursday, looking at two
benches full of family, including polite, well-behaved children who had to
be warned that they were not allowed to touch him.

"I love all y'all," Thompson told his family.

His mother urged him to keep praying. In the hallway, she later called on
Jesus for strength, sobbed as she clutched her other children, then fainted
briefly.

The prayers continued outside.

U.S. authorities in Des Moines have said they launched "Operation Storage
Locker" after a California-based narcotics investigation uncovered multiple
pounds of cocaine and marijuana flowing to a Des Moines individual later
identified as Thompson.

Between July 2004 and May 2005, authorities made numerous undercover drug
purchases and listened in on cell-phone conversations. Locally, the
resulting slew of arrests led to the seizure of 40 pounds of "ice"
methamphetamine, 2.2 pounds of powder cocaine, 10 ounces of crack cocaine,
105 pounds of marijuana, about $997,000 in cash, 14 vehicles and 10 handguns.

Similar investigations in three other U.S. cities, the Dominican Republic
and Colombia resulted in more than 160 arrests, authorities said.

It remains unclear how all of the Des Moines participants are connected.

On Thursday, U.S. prosecutors named co-defendant Leslie Dixon, 46, as being
a "leader and organizer of a large-scale crack cocaine ring" along with
Thompson and Dixon's on-and-off girlfriend, who apparently has not been
charged.

Federal agents arrested Dixon in June after following him to six crack
cocaine deliveries, all for amounts less than one gram.

Dixon's attorney, Dean Stowers, scoffed at the notion that his client is a
player in an international drug organization. "Give me a break," Stowers said.

U.S. investigators say they have found 15 years' worth of money orders
totaling $65,000 that flowed between New York City individuals and what
they believe to be a Dixon alias - the name of a Des Moines landlord who
apparently owed Dixon between $50,000 to $100,000 for unpaid crack purchases.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ross Walters later rejected government efforts to
keep Dixon locked up pending trial, saying he was "inclined to believe that
Mr. Dixon was selling for his own account and in rather small quantities."

Walters ordered Dixon referred to an inpatient drug treatment program.
Afterward, he could end up in a Des Moines halfway house.