Dozens Hunted In New Drug Raid

Narcotics agents were sweeping through the Ann Arbor area today in a roundup of suspected drug dealers in a raid punctuated by shooting near City Hall. Thirty persons were arrested and were being arraigned today in district court with 19 other suspects still being hunted Warrants listing a total of 75 counts of delivery of narcotics have been issued. The shooting - in which no one was 77 ' reported occurred when pólice fired at suspects fleeing in a car on Ann Street. The suspects apparently escaped. The raids, centered in Ann Arbor but including Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, are the largest in the four-year history of the Washtenaw Area Narcotics Team, an organization of undercover agents from the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti pólice departments, the State Pólice and the Livingston and Wayne County sheriff's departments. Today's roundup follows massive raids staged here Sept. 24 when federal agents busted what they called one of the nation's biggest dope operations. That raid involved more than 50 suspects. The raid today climaxed a four-month investigation. It involved some 50 officers from various pólice agencies. The Sheriff's Department did not particípate. Shortly before 11 a.m. two shots were fired, reportedly by policeofficers at a car containing two suspects fleemg on Ann Street near the County Building. Details were sketchy, but pólice say as f ar as they know no one was hit. The incident was witnessed by . City Counciiwoman Carol Jones and Rbbert Dwyer, a local Democratie politico, who vere in a car headed south on Fourth Avenue at Ann Street. They say when they pulled up at the stop sign they saw a green Volvo making strange maneuvers in the middle of Ann between Fourth Avenue and Main. About this time Dwyer said he noticed what apparently was a plainclothes pólice officer running towards the car with a gun in nis hand. The Volvo continued backing up and puiling forward trying to turn around. the witnesses said. A WANT officer said initial repons oí the incident were that two policemen had arrested one suspect in the 100 block of , E. Ann when they spotted at least one other suspect bein.g sought in the Volvo. As they ran towards the car the driver began trying to turn it around. Jones and Dwyer said the car, reportedly stolen from Flint and with two differeht plates, made a wrong-way bkcking-up turn onto Fourth Avenue and i headed east on Ann Street. The plainclothes officer was then joined by a ' uniformed officer who chased the car on foot. Dwyer said when the officers got near Fifth Avenue they fired two shots at the green car. It was not known if the car was hit. "I couldn't teil the cops from the robbers," Dwyer said. "There were all these people running around with huge cannons in their hands." What happened after that is still unconfirmed. But a News photographer was in the vicinity and heard the two shots. He proceeded towards the shots and when he reached the Ann State Street vicinty he saw two suspects jump out of the car and. head north on foot. It was not immediately determined why the suspects abandoned the car. Some of the details of today's raid were released during a press conference today in the office of Washtenaw County Prosecutor William F. Delhey. Delhey was flanked during the meeting by Ann Arbor Pólice Chief Walter E. Krasny and Capt. Lewis Smith. Smith is director of the State Police's Intelligence División in Lansing. He coordinated today's raid. Smith said the value of the drugs has not been determined pending analysis at the Crime Laboratory in Plymouth. Large amounts of weapons and cash were also confiscated during the drug sweep. Delhey said the heroin taken was of extremely high quality. Although most of ithe drugs confiscated was heroin, there was also some cocaine. Smith noted tnat arug Duys ranging from $50 to $350 were made by WANT agents during the probe. Less than $20, I 000 was used to pur'chase the drugs. Krasny said those in custody are being I arraigned as soon as they are processed I by the pólice department. Delhey saidsubstantial bonds will be I requested of those who were arrested I and are repeaters. Previous WANT raids I this year included ones in January and I May. The prosecutor noted the latest J raid is significant in that only heroin and cocaine were confiscated. Smith said the probe and the raid focused on hard drugs. "We are making some inroads in the drug problem in the county. But we can use all of the help we can get. We welcome any help. WANT did a tremendous job," Delhey said. The 19 persons arrested, and scheduled for arraignment today, included: Raymond Hayes, 1001 S. Forest; Howard Hayes, 1001 S. Forest; Monte E. Pee, Downtown Club; Novelle Jackson, 2700 Fernwood; Stella Bowles, no known address; John Bigham, 167 Murfin, Apf. No. 9; Calvin Thompson, no known address; Richard Benon, 246 Kirk St., Ypsilanti; Sonny Palmer, aka Carlos Davenport, 3675 Pheasant Run; Andre D. Tyler, no known address; Mark A. Wilson, no known address; Larry D. Covington, 302 W. Ainswortn Circle, Ypsilanti; Donald Thompson, no address; Robert E. Burden, 422 Ainsworth, Ypsilanti; Lee A. Taylor, 423 Ainsworth, Ypsilanti; Roger E. Hines; 2805 Appleridge, Ypsilanti; Albert Taylor, Jr., 282 Kirk St., Ypsilanti; Walter Bowles, no address; Tobey Ryles, no address. Some Drug Suspects Are 'Repeaters' - Delhey Page 19 SESOViR DOZENS HUNTED...