10 Charged With Selling Crack Near San Francisco Tenderloin Schools
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — The U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of California announced the indictment of 10 people accused of trafficking drugs within 1,000 feet of schools in San Francisco's Tenderloin District.
A federal grand jury has charged the alleged with separate one-count indictments for dealing crack cocaine near elementary schools.
In a statement released Monday, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the San Francisco Police Department joined forces as part of an ongoing anti-drug effort.
"There are thousands of children who live and go to school in the Tenderloin District," Haag said. "[They] deserve the same chance as children who live in other neighborhoods around San Francisco: the chance to go to and from school without having to navigate through crack deals on the way."
Law enforcement officials claimed to be aggressively tackling drug dealing in the neighborhood. Haag warned more charges could be on the way and told everyone who treats the Tenderloin as an "open-air drug market" should be on notice.
The ten defendants have been identified as Alfred Craney, Ivan Speed, Latoya Jackson, Angela Jones, Saquita Nash, Mellina Williams, Shaneka Clay, Cassie Roberts Jamesha Harris, and Lori Spiller.
Nine of the suspects have been arrested and arraigned in federal court in San Francisco. According to prosecutors, Craney is currently in state custody on unrelated charges.
The maximum statutory penalty for violating the federal drug-free school zone statute is 40 years in prison, with a minimum mandatory one year in jail, at least six years and up to life on supervised release, and a maximum fine of up to $2 million.
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