TWO MEN ARRESTED IN ALLEGED DRUG DEAL INVOLVING IVERSON'S MERCEDES

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) Two men traveling away from an alleged drug deal were
arrested last Friday in Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson's car, police
said Monday.

Iverson was not present and has not been charged, but had given the two men
permission to use the new Mercedes Benz sedan, Norfolk police spokesman
Larry Hill said.

Andre Steele, 27, and Michael Powell, 29, were arrested after police
received complaints about drug dealing. Powell was charged with possession
of cocaine with intent to distribute, a felony. Steele was charged with
possession of marijuana.

Under Virginia law, cars used in drug activity may be confiscated
permanently. Hill said police have filed papers to take possession of the car.

Iverson was not immediately available for comment Monday. Dave Coskey, a
spokesman for the 76ers, said he could not comment on matters involving
players because of the ongoing NBA lockout.

The relationship between Iverson and Steele and Powell was not clear.

Hill said residents called police and reported seeing the Mercedes pull
alongside a BMW and drugs being dealt.

"Immediately following the transaction, the investigators stopped both
vehicles and it was determined that in Iverson's vehicle there was some
crack cocaine which belonged to Michael Powell," Hill said.

The man in the BMW, Nathaniel Motely, 29, was charged with possession of
marijuana and carrying a concealed weapon, both misdemeanors. It was not
clear whether he knows Iverson.

Powell was released on $5,000 bond. Steele and Motely were released on
their own recognizance.

The incident is the most recent of several scrapes Iverson and his
acquaintances have had with the law:

On Aug. 3, 1997, Iverson was a passenger in a car stopped for speeding near
Richmond. The trooper smelled marijuana, searched the car and found a
.45-caliber pistol on the floorboard. Iverson pleaded no contest to the gun
charge, and a marijuana possession charge was dropped. He was sentenced to
probation. The NBA suspended Iverson for one game as a result.

In May, 1997, Iverson testified in Hampton Circuit Court on behalf a man he
calls "dad." The man, three-time felon Michael Andre Freeman, was convicted
of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

In August, 1993, Iverson was convicted on three counts of maiming by mob
for his role in a Hampton bowling alley brawl. He was sentenced to five
years in prison. Then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder granted him clemency in
December, 1993.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski