Pubdate: Sat, 04 Dec 1999
Source: Alameda Times-Star (CA)
Copyright: 1999 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers
Contact:  66 Jack London Sq. Oakland, CA 94607
Website: http://www.newschoice.com/newspapers/alameda/times/
Author: Ben Charny, Staff Writer

3 ARRAIGNED IN OAKLAND DRUG CASE

Suspected Major Ring Members Face Possibility Of Life In Prison

OAKLAND - More than 110 pounds of cocaine and $805,000 in cash were seized
during a joint federal and state investigation that authorities said
toppled a major drug ring supplying cocaine to an army of Oakland street
dealers.

Three Oakland men - convicted drug dealer Lee Andrew Cain, 34, Javier
Martinez (who also has been convicted of drug charges) and Orlando Calvin -
were arraigned Friday on drug conspiracy charges. If convicted, all could
face life in prison.

Also in U.S. District Court on Friday was Martin Lorenzo Burgos. Members of
the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Oakland Police Department believe
Burgos, an Oakland resident, headed the ring that was selling multiple
kilograms of cocaine at a time.

Burgos was arrested in late November inside a Pacifica house. Agents said
he had cocaine powder on his arms as he walked out of the house. Taken into
custody along with Burgos was Angel Reyes Miranda - a k a "Julio" - who was
with Burgos inside the house.

All five men have been accused of conspiring to sell large amounts of
cocaine between March and November. Sources said Burgos and Miranda got
shipments of the drug, then gave them to Cain, Martinez and Calvin to
distribute in the Oakland area.

The group used numeric pager codes and fake names to communicate with each
other and handled business in cash to avoid any scrutiny, according to
court records.

The group possessed large amounts of cash, including $704,624, that
authorities believe one of Burgos' lieutenants possessed on Highway 99 near
Madera, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors seized $45,000 in cash at an Oakland house where Cain
apparently lived.

More than 33 kilograms of cocaine was seized in early November from a
Pacifica house in which Miranda apparently lived, records show. Sixteen
kilograms were seized while being transported from Pacifica to Oakland,
according to court records.

Along with cocaine, agents seized 56 empty wrappers used to package the
drugs, scales, a hydraulically operated metal press, a money counter and
three pistols from the Pacifica house.

Alameda County Unified Superior Court records show Cain has at least two
drug convictions, the most recent was 1992, when he allegedly teamed with
another man to provide "large amounts of illicit drugs" to the Alameda
County area, records show.

He received a nine-month jail term.

Cain was also convicted in 1987 after he possessed a quantity of cocaine.
Initially, he was in a program that delayed prosecution if he kept out of
trouble.

But he didn't, was arrested again for drug dealing a few months later and
was sentenced to three years probation and four months of county jail.
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