DEPUTY'S WIFE FACING DRUG CHARGES

Ramsey County officer also investigated after allegations

Two St. Paul women, one the wife of a Ramsey County sheriff's deputy, were
indicted Monday in California on federal charges of importing opium with
the intent to distribute the drug.

The women, Tong Vang and Mao Lee, were arrested July 18 by U.S. Customs
Service agents who found the suspected opium in the women's belongings
after they arrived in Los Angeles on a Northwest Airlines flight from
Bangkok, Thailand.

The suspected opium was found in lotion bottles, shampoo bottles and
envelopes the women were carrying. Lee was accused of importing 3.9
kilograms of opium, and Vang was accused of bringing in 3.2 kilograms.

When questioned during the arrest, Vang allegedly told agents, "They told
me to tell you that I was bringing this stuff in for myself," according to
the criminal complaint.

Acting on the arrest of Vang and other allegations, including an anonymous
letter stating that Vang's husband, Ramsey County sheriff's deputy Wameng
Yang, had made several trips to Thailand this year to bring back opium, St.
Paul police searched Yang and Vang's home in the 400 block of Thomas Avenue
on July 26.

St. Paul police have declined to say whether any evidence of opium
distribution was discovered in the search. The investigation is continuing
and has not yet been turned over to the county attorney for possible
prosecution.

Yang, 39, is a guard at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center and
remains on duty, Sheriff Bob Fletcher said Wednesday.

"I'm in the business of waiting until there is evidence in hand before
incriminating any individual," Fletcher said. "At this point there is no
evidence to warrant charging of Deputy Yang."

Fletcher said he understood that no opium was found in the home. Yang has
been a deputy about five years, Fletcher said, and has no disciplinary
incidents.

In connection with the search, a 13-year-old boy has been charged with
assault in the second degree, said Peter Lindstrom, spokesman for the
Ramsey County attorney's office. A trial date has been set for Sept. 21 in
Juvenile Court. Additional details about the incident were not disclosed
because the boy is a juvenile.

In another incident on July 18, Minnesota Gang Strike Force officers
investigating a drive-by shooting found a car matching the description of
the one used in the shooting parked behind Yang and Vang's home. When
officers approached the vehicle, two teen-agers, later identified as the
couple's sons, came out of the home.

One son allegedly pointed a .22-caliber rifle at the plainclothes officers
and the other son had a pit bull on a leash, according to the affidavit for
the July 26 search warrant.

One of the sons allegedly told the officers they would be shot if they
approached the home again.

Deputy Yang also was at home, and the search warrant affidavit said,
"Wameng Yang was extremely hostile towards the officers and made it quite
clear to all he would protect his family first rather than cooperate."

Fletcher said that after the criminal investigation is completed, the
Sheriff's Department will conduct an administrative investigation into
Yang's conduct.