OAKLAND'S BIGGEST DRUG BUST YIELDS 47 KILOS OF COCAINE

OAKLAND -- In what was trumpeted as the biggest drug bust in the city's
history, federal and local authorities said they had arrested 15 leaders of
a local drug ring, and confiscated 47 kilos of cocaine and more than
$120,000 in cash.

The arrests were announced Wednesday by U.S. Attorney Michael J. Yamaguchi
at a press conference. He was flanked by officials from the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, as well as Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris and the
chiefs of the Oakland and Emeryville police departments.

The arrests during dawn raids at 32 homes across the Bay Area -- including
Oakland, Walnut Creek, San Leandro, Emeryville and Richmond -- were the
culmination of a two-year investigation by the various law enforcement
agencies, said Michele Leonhart, special agent in charge of the local DEA
office.

The investigation -- nicknamed Operation Slo-Mo after the nickname of the
alleged leader, Kevin Lee Davis -- eliminated one of the bigger drug rings
operating in the city, said Oakland Police Chief Joseph Samuel.

He declined to say how many other major drug rings were now operating within
the city limits.

Davis, who lived in Walnut Creek, oversaw a network that trafficked in 40 to
50 kilos of cocaine a week, said Leonhart. Some of the drugs were tracked to
Indianapolis and Louisville, Ky.

Members of the gang worked throughout Oakland, with dealers in nearby
cities, authorities said. The gang largely originated on 84th Avenue in East
Oakland, they said.

Authorities were able to snag the drug dealers with the use of wire taps,
said Leonhart. Another big break was the arrest in April of two gang members
who tried to bribe an Emeryville police captain with nearly $225,000 for the
return of confiscated cocaine.

The 15 defendants are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to
distribute cocaine, said Yamaguchi.

Fugitive warrants were also issued for an additional four suspected dealers.

1998 San Francisco Examiner

Checked-by: "Rolf Ernst"