LOS ANGELES – Authorities have arrested 10 members and associates of an Inglewood-based street gang on federal narcotics-trafficking and firearms charges contained in a grand jury indictment that outlines how the defendants obtained cocaine, used a purported convenience store to convert it into crack cocaine, and distributed the drugs on the streets of Inglewood and South Los Angeles.
The indictment targets the leadership and key members of the 92 Osage Legend Crips (OLC), a violent street gang that allegedly manufactured and distributed crack cocaine from the “Stop and Shop Market” in a strip mall on South Prairie Avenue. After cooking and packaging the crack cocaine at the Stop and Shop, members of the drug-trafficking conspiracy allegedly delivered drugs to customers at various locations, including at a U.S. VETS office and the Social Security office in Inglewood.
Various defendants charged in this case, some of them previously convicted felons, allegedly possessed firearms in relation to their drug-trafficking activities. The street gang members and their associates “used violence and intimidation, including firearms, to maintain and expand their drug-dealing territory, to protect themselves, their drugs, and their drug proceeds from rival gangs and drug-dealing organizations, and to collect payment from drug customers,” according to the indictment.
The indictment charges 15 defendants, 10 of whom were arrested last night and this morning. Out of the remaining five defendants, one was already in state custody, and four are currently fugitives.
The 16-count indictment charges all 15 defendants in a conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine. The indictment also charges various defendants with maintaining a drug-involved premises; possession with intent to distribute, and distribution, of crack cocaine; possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime; and felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
“Street gangs use violence and intimidation as tools to control narcotics trafficking in their territory,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “We are committed to making significant improvements in our communities by targeting gangs that bring the dual scourges of drugs and violence into neighborhoods.”
The lead defendants in the indictment – Glen Dwight Love, also known as “Big Luck,” 46, of Pasadena; Deshay Lewann King, also known as “Shay Bone,” 45, of South Los Angeles; and Wiley Venoy Ivory II, also known as “Slim,” 38, an Inglewood resident who was already in state custody on unrelated charges – ran the Stop and Shop, which from the exterior appeared to be a convenience store, but in reality was nothing more than a drug processing and storage facility.
Related Federal Cases
- Albuquerque Drug Kingpin Pleads Guilty to Cocaine, Money Laundering · New Mexico
- Coast-to-Coast Cocaine Ring Busted in Cleveland · Ohio
- Herrera Gets 22 Years for Ohio Cocaine Flood · Ohio
- Wheeler Indicted in Decade-Long Cocaine & Money Laundering Scheme · Pennsylvania
- Marcus Labrone Morris Indicted with 4 Pounds Heroin, 11 Pounds Cocaine · Ohio
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News