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14 Charged For Selling Crack In Undercover Investigation

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Fourteen people were charged Monday in connection with an alleged cocaine and crack ring in Minneapolis.

The charges were filed after several months of an undercover investigation that surrounded Champions Bar in the 100 block of West Lake Street.

The people charged includes, 38-year-old Araya Woldeselassie 40-year-old Gene Thomas, 38-year-old Tyrone Strother, 34-year-old Derrick Wade, 47-year-old Lawanda Oliver, 49-year-old Sidney Hornes, 26-year-old Mitchell Douglas and 42-year-old Tracy Nielsen, all of Minneapolis, 46-year-old Michael Duke, of Bloomington and 46-year-old Vera Drew, of Brooklyn Park.

Investigators say between September of 2011 and January of 2012, undercover officers made five narcotics purchases inside the bar, seven purchases that began on bar property but were completed elsewhere and six purchases from the bus stops or sidewalks near the bar.

Police also investigated an incident of marijuana being smoked on the bar patio.

In total, undercover officers bought cocaine and crack cocaine 19 times during the investigation.

Eleven of those charged will appear in court at a future date. Three of the suspects have warrants issued for their arrests.

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  • Liquid Nails

    The bulk of them will run.
    Should have locked them up first, then deal with the details. They had months to work this out.
    Lots of people crackin at that bar.

    • rick nelson

      ive been here 25 years 60 hours a week and never seen one person crackin at the bar. maybe you are wrong

  • Kevin

    Sniff…..sniff……..hmmmmmmmmmmmm

  • Marine 0311

    People on lake street smoke crack? No way! Now what do they do about the other 700 people selling it on lake street? Shoveling you know what against the tide.

  • Charley Manson

    Drugs in the city ghetto’s??? say what?!
    Oh boy – I need to round up my sheep.

  • Brett

    Thanks to former judge pamela alexander, these “innocents” will do little or no hard time, the cops and the county attorney’s office are just wasting time and the taxpayer’s money.

  • crack is whack

    Prohibition: your tax dollars at work, supporting laws that cannot be enforced.

    I seem to recall that when Reagan created Zero Tolerance, and C.A.M.P., prices for coke and pot soared higher than gold.

    So then came crack and supply side meth, cheap, easy, home-made.

  • Ronnie Reagan

    The cops were selling drugs too. Check it out on 5 eyewitness!

  • j speedbag64

    thats it….only 14…..

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