By Brian Gray
bgray@ themonroetimes.com
MONROE - Charges were filed Tuesday in Madison against three Monroe men accused of selling cocaine following a raid Monday at a Monroe apartment, according to a press release from John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisc-onsin.
Fern-ando Garcia, 30, Jorge Flores Torres, 24, and Raul Rodriguez Almanza, 20, were charged with distribution of cocaine.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison.
Accor-ding to Vaudreuil, the charges are a result of five-month investigation of cocaine trafficking in Monroe.
The investigation was conducted by the State Line Area Narcotics Team, Illinois State Police, Monroe Police Departm-ent, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
The prosecution of the case was assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Reinhard.
Reinhard was not available for comment Tuesday.
The men were arrested following a raid at about 8 p.m. Monday at an apartment building in the 2700 block of 9th Street in Monroe. More than 20 officers searched one apartment inside the complex.
Some of the officers around the apartment complex were wearing riot-type gear. The number of officers used to raid only one apartment in the complex was due to number of people living in the complex and the size of the potential search area, said Fred Kelley, Monroe Police chief, Monday.
The raid also included a helicopter from one of the agencies involved. The helicopter allowed the officers to be able to see a larger perimeter in case somebody tried to flee the scene, Kelley said.
The Green County and Lafayette County sheriff's departments also assisted in Monday's raid.
bgray@ themonroetimes.com
MONROE - Charges were filed Tuesday in Madison against three Monroe men accused of selling cocaine following a raid Monday at a Monroe apartment, according to a press release from John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisc-onsin.
Fern-ando Garcia, 30, Jorge Flores Torres, 24, and Raul Rodriguez Almanza, 20, were charged with distribution of cocaine.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison.
Accor-ding to Vaudreuil, the charges are a result of five-month investigation of cocaine trafficking in Monroe.
The investigation was conducted by the State Line Area Narcotics Team, Illinois State Police, Monroe Police Departm-ent, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
The prosecution of the case was assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Reinhard.
Reinhard was not available for comment Tuesday.
The men were arrested following a raid at about 8 p.m. Monday at an apartment building in the 2700 block of 9th Street in Monroe. More than 20 officers searched one apartment inside the complex.
Some of the officers around the apartment complex were wearing riot-type gear. The number of officers used to raid only one apartment in the complex was due to number of people living in the complex and the size of the potential search area, said Fred Kelley, Monroe Police chief, Monday.
The raid also included a helicopter from one of the agencies involved. The helicopter allowed the officers to be able to see a larger perimeter in case somebody tried to flee the scene, Kelley said.
The Green County and Lafayette County sheriff's departments also assisted in Monday's raid.