Huge Drug Ring Smashed Here

A massive dragnet of federal and local narcotics agents swept through Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County today and began arresting moré than 50 persons implicated in what is described as a giant drug ring. Authorities say the arrests have broken up one of the largest illicit drug operations in the nation. Undercover officers used more than a half-million dollars to make "buys" of heroin, cocaine and other drugs during the 10-week investigation, The News learned. Ann Arbor Pólice Chief Walter E. Krasny said his department was not directly involved in the investigation which began July 4. "This was a federal operation which very few people were aware of," Chief Krasny said. "It was top secret, even f rom most pólice agencies." Suspects were being taken directly to the Wayne County Jaü. ■ Undercover pólice agents making the purchases of drugs were in alfnost constant danger because many of the drug dealers were armed at all times, officers said. In addition, some of the suspects are trained in karate while others keep vicious attack dogs in their homes, it was learned. _____- _ The dealers involved made trips to Mexico, Jamaica and Puerto Rico to obtain supplies of drugs but they always returned to Washtenaw County where their operation was centered, a source said. Federal officers said Ann Arbor is a "target city" for general drug rings and leads developed by investigators in other parts of the state and the nation often led back to this area. The federal probé was so secret that even the undercover Washtenaw Area Narcotics Team was only vaguely aware that outside agents were quietly building narcotic cases in Washtenaw County. Government agents working on the 1 case initially made only one contact with outside pólice agencies. That was to Col. George Halverson, director of the Michigan State pólice in Lansing. Later a few experienced local undercover agents were hand-picked by federal officers to take part in the super-secret probes. "Secrecy was vital to this entire case," one souree said. "Without it officers' lives were on the line." There have been two previous iargescale arrests of narcotics suspects this year ïn the area. Twen ty-se ven persons were charged on Jan. 15 with dealing in cocaine, LSD and heroin, climaxing an 11-month undercover pólice investigation of narcotics traffic in the county. Evidence against those suspects was gathered during a secret probe by plainclothes officers from the Washtenaw Area Narcotics Team (WANT). Participante in WANT include Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti city pólice departments, State Pólice and Livingston and Wayne County sheriff's departments. On May 15, 14 persons were arrrested on charges of heroin trafficking in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, following a twomonth investigation. In that case, a total of 25 warrants charging heroin or cocaine delivery were issued on the basis of 46 separate incidents of sales of narcotics. The ing persons charged subsequently were arrested. One of those arrested in May was Gary Ulmer, an Ann Arbor native who was a 15th District Court probation officer and was arrested in the District Court probation office at Ann Arbor City Hall. He telephoned a verbal resignation following the arrest. Ulmer was charged with four counts of delivery of heroin,. on which four separate trial dates have been set for early next year. Arrested following both the January and May investigations was Lee A. "Bunny" Taylor of no known permanent address. He faces three heroin-related charges and a Jan. 19, 1976 trial date has been set in one of the cases.