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0-19 (Hey 4-26-83, ‘LA. Gang Member’s® Arrest Concerns Police By Paul W. Valentine ‘Washington Post Staff Writer BALTIMORE, Sept. 26—An al- leged member of a notorious Los Angeles street gang called the Crips was arrested here today on <'weapons charges, fueling specula- tion among federal agents that the 10,000-member gang has extended its drug network to the Washing- ton-Baltimore area. Agents said they arrested Ar- mando Eugene Mines, 25, as he en- tered a city court to answer a local assault charge. At the same time, other agents searched his recently rented suburban Baltimore apart- ment and confiscated 2.5 pounds of suspected cocaine, a semiautomatic rifle, $10,000 in cash and cocaine- packaging equipment, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey E. Eisenberg. An affidavit filed by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in federal court identified Mines as a member of the Crips -gang, one of several large, increas- _ingly violent gangs in the Los An- geles area where California author- ities say more than 380 people were killed last year in feuds over drug customers and territory. Law enforcement officials say the Crips and a rival gang called the Bloods have extended their net- works into other cities such as Seat- tle, Toronto and Kansas City. To- day’s arrest of Mines here marked the first tangible presence of the Crips in the Washington-Baltimore area, officials said. They would not say whether oth- er Crips members are in the area but said their investigation is con- tinuing. The federal affidavit indi- cated agents had Mines under pe- riodic surveillance for several months. “He was distributing drugs at least for himself ... if not as an arm of the gang,” Eisenberg told re- porters. He said he did not know whether the suspected cocaine seized at Mines’ apartment came from Los Angeles. Mines was arrested after a sealed, five-count indictment was handed down by a federal grand jury here last week charging him with acquiring firearms with false identification and illegally possess- ing firearms as a convicted felon. The charges carry a maximum sen- tence of 25 years’ imprisonment and $1.25 million in fines upon con- viction. Eiseriberg said additional charges against Mines are expected. Mines is being held in custody pending a detention hearing Wednesday. Prosecutors, citing what they say is Mines’ dangerousness and likeli- hood of flight, want him held with- out bail until trial. According to the federal affidavit, agents traced Mines to the Crips af- ter city police arrested him in June on a charge of assault with a hand- gun and seized a-9mm semiauto- matic pistol from him that he had purchased from a Baltimore gun dealer using the name of his broth- er, Robert Edwards Mines Jr. of Los Angeles. He also had purchased a .44-caliber revolver in March from the same dealer, the affidavit said. He was released on bond in the assault case. Through fingerprint analysis, the affidavit said, agents determined the identity of Armando Mines and leamed from California authorities that he was a “documented” mem- ber of the Los Angeles neighbor- hood branch of the Crips called the Santana Block Crips. He also had a 1983 burglary conviction on his record, agents said. The affidavit said the Crips have about 10,000 members in the Los Angeles area and are divided into loose “sets” or groups identified by local street names or landmarks. A “recent wave .. . of shootings and gangland-style homicides in the Los Angeles area, along with in- creased competition for the drug dollar and the accompanying law enforcement response, have driven gang members to expand or relo- cate their drug trafficking,” the af- fidavit said. ‘The Wasnmgton Post f ‘The Washington Times Baee AD hae Bree AD tee eee ad CES dees De OW Coy Poe reals Bec mgr Tet Tw be Telephone B= Director “a heey - Daily News (New York) ‘The New York Temes ‘The Wal! Street Joums! ‘The Chicago Trdune ‘The Los Angeles Times The Christan Science Monitor USA Today Date Page C25 -E6 g IT 9-00