FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION FREEDOM OF INFORMATION/PRIVACY ACTS SECTION COVER SHEET SUBJECT:__CRIPS AND BLOODS DRUG GANGSLA fang Member’s Arrest Concerns Police ‘By Paul W. Valentine Wace Po Sat Weer BALTIMORE, Sept. 26—An al- leged member of a notorious Los Angeles street gang called the jdentification and illegally possess- Crips was arrested here today on ing firearms as a convicted felon. weapons charges, fueling speculs- The charges carry a maximum sen- ton among federal agents that the tence of 25 years’ imprisonment 10,000-member gang bas extended and $1.25 millon in fines upon con- its drug network to the Washing- viction. tonBaltimore area. Eisertberg said additional charges ‘Agents said they arrested Ar- against Mines are expected. Mines ‘mando Eugene Mines, 25, as he en- ig being held in custody pending a tered a city court to answer a local detention hearing Wednesday. assault charge. At the same time, Prosecutors, citing what they say is other agents searched his recently Mines’ dangerousness and likeli rented suburban Baltimore apart- hood of fight, want him held with- ment and confiscated 2.5 pounds of out bail unt tril. suspected cocaine, a semiautomatic "According to the federal affidavit, rifle, $10,000 in cash and cocaine- agents traced Mines to the Crips af- packaging equipment, according to ter city police arrested him in June Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey E. on a charge of assault with a hand- Eisenberg. gun and seized a 9mm semiauto- ‘An afidavit filed by agents of the matic pistol from him that he had Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and purchased from a Baltimore gun Firearms in federal court identified dealer using the name of his broth- Mines as a member of the Crips er, Robert Edwards Mines Jf. of : gang, one of several large, increas- Los Angeles. He also had purchased ingly violent gangs in the Los An- 2 .44-caiber revolver_in March ‘geles area where California author- from the same dealer, the affidavit ities say more than 380 people said. He was released on bond in ‘were killed last year in feuds over the assault case. drug customers and territory ‘Through fingerprint analysis, the Law enforcement officials say the affidavit said, agents determined (Crips. and a rival gang called the the identity of Armando Mines and Bloods have extended their net- leamed from California authorities ‘works into other cities such as Seat- that he was a “documented” mem- te, Toronto and Kansas City. To- ber of the Los Angeles neighbor- day's arrest of Mines here marked hood branch of the Crips called the the first tangible presence of the Santana Block Crips. He also had a ‘Crips in the Washington-Baltimore 1983 burglary conviction on his area, officials said. record, agents said. ‘They would not say whether oth- ‘The affidavit said the Crips have eau cer Crips members are in the area about 10,000 members in the Los ‘Tha Wasnngton Post 7 LY ‘but said their investigation is con- Angeles area and are divided into ‘The Washington Tees tinuing. The federal affidavit indi- loose “sets” or groups identified by cated agents had Mines under pe- local street names of landmarks, odie surveillance for several A “recent wave . .. of shootings Day Nowa (New York) ‘The Now Yor Tres months. and gangland-style homicides in the ‘The Wa Steet Journal “He was distributing drugs at Los Angeles area, along with in- ‘The Chicago Treune Jeast for himself ... if not as an creased competition for the drug ‘The Lot Angeies Tres armof the gang," Eisenberg told re- dolar and the accompanying. law “The Crvanan Scnce Monaor porters. He said he did not know enforcement response, have driven Whether the suspected cocaine gang members to expand or relo- ‘seized at Mines’ apartment came cate their drug trafficking.” the af- {from Los Angeles. fidavit said. oe 25 - ES ve 7 USA Todsy