Nationwide “Project Deliverance” Results In Ten Defendants
Charged In Milwukee
Marijuana, firearms, vehicles and United States Currency seized

JUN 14 -- (Milwaukee) - United States Attorney James L. Santelle announced that on June 9, 2010, following the execution of numerous search warrants, 10 members of an alleged Milwaukee, Wisconsin marijuana trafficking ring were charged in federal court with knowingly and intentionally conspiring with each other and others to distribute marijuana. Law enforcement officers seized five vehicles, almost 15 pounds of marijuana, six firearms, including two assault rifles and a submachine gun, as well as approximately $5,000 in U.S. currency.

Charged in the criminal complaint are the following Milwaukee residents:

Michael Bond, 49
Valerie Brown, 41
Darius Bond, 28
Alcie Butler, 41
Gerald Humphrey, 45
Michael Jelks, 45
Maxine Bond, 52
Sherri Ann Bond, 43
Randa Darcel Cistrunk, 52
Josie Marie Stennis, 63

The complaint alleges that all of the defendants conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana from approximately November 2008 until June 9, 2010. The complaint alleges that the marijuana was provided by a source in Mexico and that the defendants paid for the drugs by sending money to individuals in El Paso, Texas, Socorro, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. If convicted, the defendants face a minimum term of 10 years and up to life in prison, and a fine of up to $4 million. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Resler.

United States Attorney James L. Santelle commended the multiple law enforcement agencies involved in this lengthy investigation including: the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, Milwaukee HIDTA, and the Milwaukee and West Allis Police Departments, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, the Wisconsin State Patrol, the Waukesha Metro Drug Unit, the New Berlin Police Department, and the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Department.

The investigation is a part of a nationwide investigative effort entitled Project Deliverance, which targeted the transportation infrastructure of Mexican drug trafficking organizations in the United States, especially along the Southwest border, through coordination between federal, state and local law enforcement. In Washington today, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the arrest of more than 2,200 individuals on narcotics-related charges in the United States, the seizure of more than 74.1 tons of illegal drugs, and the seizure of $154 million dollars is suspected drug proceeds, as part of the 22-month multi-agency investigation conducted by the DEA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.)

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.