Pubdate: Tue, 07 Mar 2006
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Section: Pg B-3
Copyright: 2006 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact:  http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Henry K. Lee
Note: MAP archives articles exactly as published, except that our 
editors may redact the names and addresses of accused persons who 
have  not been convicted of a crime, if those named are not otherwise 
public  figures or officials.

Oakland

FEDERAL SENTENCE FOR STREET-LEVEL DEALING

A federal judge has sentenced an Oakland man to five years in prison 
for his role in an East Oakland cocaine ring that city leaders 
targeted under a novel campaign to ease violence.

U.S. District Judge D. Lowell Jensen ordered [Name redacted], 50, to 
begin serving his sentence May 3 on a charge of conspiracy to possess 
with intent to distribute cocaine. Jensen handed down [Name 
redacted]'s sentence Friday.

[Name redacted] and three other men -- [Name redacted], 53, [Name 
redacted], 35, and  [Name redacted], 29 -- were the first to face 
federal charges for street-level drug dealing under a program started 
by Oakland police, the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office.

The idea is to charge those arrested for drug crimes with federal 
offenses, convictions for which bring sentences of at least five years.

Authorities arrested the four men Jan. 27, 2005, after undercover 
Oakland police Officer Marcel Patterson infiltrated the ring by 
buying cocaine on the 5900 block of East 16th Street in East Oakland.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman