8 AUSTINITES ACCUSED OF DRUG SMUGGLING

Eight Austin residents have been indicted on charges of conspiring to
funnel 10 tons of marijuana into the country since July 1999.

The alleged operation may have generated $5 million in drug sales,
according to the indictment.

"That's a good amount," said Kevin Rapp, a federal prosecutor from
Phoenix, where authorities say the drugs were smuggled before
arriving in Austin. "We have evidence from seizures and money, and
amounts that they talked about delivering."

The indictment, made available this week in U.S. District Court in
Austin, charges Eric William Griffin, Gregory Kevin Keville, Reginald
James Linack, Jaomi Frank Brasher, Billy Nichols Jr., Harrison Myles
Walsh, Doris Marie Newby and Shauna Adamcik. Federal authorities
could not provide the ages of the accused.

Several others were indicted, but their names were not released.

If convicted, each would face 10 years to life in prison.

Federal investigators say couriers in Mexico hid the marijuana in
tractor-trailers, smuggled it into Phoenix and hid the stash in
rental homes and warehouses. The drugs were repackaged in
vacuum-sealed Mylar bags, called "silver bullets" by the suspects,
then taken to Austin. Payoffs from drug sales occurred in private
homes and hotel rooms, according to the indictment. The drugs ended
up in New York, Arizona, Texas, California and Ohio.

During the investigation, federal agents arrested a truck driver in
Kansas City, Mo., who was carrying 2,500 pounds of marijuana. Another
man was discovered with 1,000 pounds of marijuana in his tan Chevy
van.

Although the group is from Austin, they will be prosecuted in
Phoenix, Rapp said. Agents from the Austin offices of the Internal
Revenue Service and the Drug Enforcement Agency participated in the
investigation.