ALLEGED DRUG RING IS CHARGED IN FEDERAL INDICTMENT

A ring that investigators say supplied crack cocaine to most of
Boston's violent street gangs during the 1990s has been charged in a
federal indictment targeting the wholesale dealers of the drug.

In a pair of lengthy indictments unsealed yesterday in US District
Court, 10 people were charged in an alleged conspiracy that involved
shuttling powdered cocaine from New York to Massachusetts in luxury
cars equipped with secret compartments.

Once here, the powdered cocaine was ''cooked'' into rocks of crack
cocaine in apartments in Roxbury, Brighton and elsewhere in the city
then distributed to dealers who sold it at several public housing
developments in Boston and in Brockton and Taunton, federal, state and
local authorities said yesterday.

The ring allegedly supplied some of the most violent drug gangs in
Boston, including the Intervale Posse and gangs that operated out of
the Orchard Park, Academy Homes, Bromley-Heath, Lenox Street and
Harbor Point developments. The group, known as the Mills Organization
after its alleged kingpin, Edward K. Mills, also allegedly supplied
crack to dealers in the Copeland Street area of Roxbury, the Corbet
Street area of Dorchester and the Wilcock Street area of Mattapan.

''This was the organization in Boston that supplied crack to a number
of violent gangs in the city,'' said US Attorney Donald K. Stern, who
refused to quantify the scope of the operation, other than to say it
was ''substantial.''

''It was a very profitable, very active business,'' said Stern, who
would only say that their profits were ''in excess of $100,000.''

At a news conference, Stern and other federal, state and local law
enforcement officials characterized the indictments as the follow-up
to the dismantling of the drug gangs themselves over the past few years.

Just yesterday, the leaders of the Intervale Posse, Samuel Patrick and
Jason Arthur, were sentenced to life in prison on federal drug
charges, and the day before one of the leaders of a crack-selling gang
in the Lenox Street development was also sentenced to life in prison.

''We haven't forgotten, we haven't gotten too comfortable in these
relatively good times,'' said Suffolk District Attorney Ralph C. Martin II.

Of the 10 people charged, 9 are in custody, either arrested yesterday
or already in jail on other charges. Only one, Gilbert Padilla, known
as ''Geek'' remains at large.

Also named in the indictment were Damon Araujo, known as ''Day Day'';
Ryan Thomas, known as ''Turtle''; David Gonzalez, known as ''Davey'';
Isaiah James, known as ''Bodine''; Keith Freeman, known as ''Big
Keith'' and ''Kevin James''; Rahmel Carter, known as ''Goldie'';
Cedric A. Phillips, known as ''Cookie Head'' and Fania Hemingway.
Investigators were not able to provide the ages and addresses of those
indicted because they had used numerous dates of birth and addresses.