Pubdate: Sat, 28 Jan 2006
Source: Johnson City Press (TN)
Copyright: 2006 Johnson City Press
Contact:  http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1983
Author: Kristen Swing
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

BUSTED - AUTHORITIES BREAK UP DRUG TRAFFICKING RING, CALLED LARGEST 
EVER IN AREA, CHARGE MULTIPLE DEFENDANTS

After more than 15 years of operating out of Upper East Tennessee, 
what has been called the largest drug trafficking organization ever 
to exist in the area was dismantled by federal and local law 
enforcement agencies.

Authorities announced the takedown at a news conference on Friday at 
Johnson City's Downtown Centre, where officials said they have been 
working for a decade on the investigation, which culminated in a 
12-count, multidefendant indictment in federal court.

Thirteen individuals were charged in connection with the 
investigation, including Mark Allen Saults and Richard Glen Milburn, 
whom authorities called the "ringleaders" of the drug operation.

The drugs -- an estimated 25,000 pounds of marijuana, 22 pounds of 
cocaine and 50 pounds of methamphetamine -- were brought into the 
United States from Mexico and South America and then transported to a 
rural area in Georgia before arriving in the Tri-Cities area during a 
10-year period from January 1995 to December 2005, officials said.

"Through a distribution network in Georgia, they were able to bring 
those drugs into the area primarily through the Jonesborough area, 
through a farm in Limestone," said Russ Dedrick, acting U.S. attorney 
for the Eastern District of Tennessee. "Then (Saults and Milburn) 
turned around and sold these to their distributors."

The drugs allegedly were being filtered through Milburn's working 
dairy farm at 1075 Old Milburnton Road.

Officials estimated the street value of the drugs to be in the 
millions, with the marijuana alone worth about $25 million.

"These are very large quantities of drugs," Dedrick said. "We very 
rarely see 50-pound seizures of meth."

Along with Saults and Milburn, six other local individuals were 
charged for their alleged involvement in the drug-trafficking ring. 
Michael Damon Bawgus, Shannon Luttrell, Robert Anthony Hampton, Derek 
Anthony "Tony" Keys, James Franklin DeVotie and Travis Brown were all 
charged with multiple drug offenses.

Two others --Victor Hugo Vargus and Louis Antonio Medina -- were 
arrested in Georgia for their alleged involvement in the operation, 
while authorities were continuing to search for three additional 
individuals. Law enforcement officials do not suspect that Doug Keith 
Davis, Sidney Charles Terrell and Eric Phillip Shawback are in 
Tennessee, but they are continuing to search for them elsewhere.

"We believe they may be in Georgia or else in the border areas," said 
Dedrick, who encouraged anyone with information regarding their 
whereabouts to contact a local law enforcement agency immediately. 
"These people are federal fugitives."

The 13 defendants each face a minimum mandatory term of 10 years in 
prison with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and a fine of up 
to $4 million. Several of the charged individuals made their initial 
appearances before U.S. Magistrate Dennis Inman in Greeneville on 
Wednesday. They will appear for detention hearings in the near future 
while the remaining defendants will make their initial appearances as 
they are arrested, authorities said.

The breakup of such a large drug organization was the result of a 
cooperative effort among several law enforcement agencies including 
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI, the Tennessee Bureau of 
Investigation, the 1st Judicial District Drug Task Force, the 
Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Jonesborough Police Department.

"I couldn't point to a finer example of cooperation. This has 
resulted in a dismantling of a major drug organization that I'm sure 
has its tentacles out into our homes and children throughout East 
Tennessee," Dedrick said. "This case is being prosecuted in federal 
court but could not have happened without the law enforcement 
agencies in Upper East Tennessee."

On Friday, local authorities celebrated the ring's dismantling, 
calling it a huge success in the fight against drugs.

"There's not an officer probably in Washington County, Jonesborough 
and even Johnson City, for that matter, that has worked for the last 
15 years that has not heard Mark Saults' name in connection with drug 
activity," said Jonesborough Director of Public Safety Craig Ford. 
"He's off the streets today and hopefully with the federal charges 
he'll be off the streets for a long time."

But the recent success is not the end of the battle, Dedrick said.

"We have a large number of individuals under investigation as we 
speak," he said. "We hope that this will have a major impact, 
especially in giving us the intelligence of finding other suppliers."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom