Nine of twelve drug dealers in a large ring that brought cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy and marijuana into Alaska have cut a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a single drug conspiracy charge each in U.S. District Court in Anchorage.
The ring was dominated by violence and leaders protected it with submachine guns, federal prosecutors say.
The drug traffickers who pleaded guilty were Phonesavanh Vongthongdy, 22, Timothy Moore, 27, Kenese Sene, 35, Seirosa Sia Milo, 27, Bernard White, 27, Miguel Robles, 23, Vaughan Erickson, 29, Harold Graham, 22, and Patrick Osburn, 26.
The court case against Juan Mendiola, the man described as the ringleader who allegedly ran the Alaska end of the operation, continues. His trial is scheduled for October.
Authorities say that Mendiola coordinated and organized the drug ring, while also cooking the cocaine to make crack.
Beginning in 2005 and continuing until the September 2008 bust, the ring shipped drugs from Los Angeles to at least nine addresses in Anchorage, using United Parcel Service and FedEx, according to court documents. They coordinated the operation mostly through the use of prepaid cell phones.
The dealers protected their loot with assault guns and maintained control over the operation through violence, such as ordering assaults on those who violated "house rules," prosecutors say.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors are asking for the forfeiture of items seized from the ring, including $45,000 in cash, a 1998 Cadillac DeVille, semiautomatic pistols, rifles, shotguns and ammunition.
During the course of the investigation, more than six kilograms of cocaine, 500 grams of heroin, one kilogram of meth and more than a dozen firearms were seized.
The deal with prosecutors included dropping some of the original charges.
Each of the nine pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy. Vongthongdy also pleaded guilty to a firearms charge and two others, Milo and Graham, to possession of drugs with intent to distribute.
Sentencing for the nine is scheduled for August. They are all in custody.
Authorities are still looking for two other alleged ring members, Diego Sebastian Munoz, known as "Ruben," and Jose Ruis, also known as "Juan Berez." Anyone with information on where they are can call the Drug Enforcement Administration at 271-5033 or the Anchorage police at 786-8500.
By MEGAN HOLLAND
mholland@adn.com