6 people face charges in alleged heroin conspiracy

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Six people face charges in what authorities say was a conspiracy to bring heroin from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to Fargo-Moorhead.

A federal grand jury indictment unsealed Thursday alleges that the group traveled to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to get more than 100 grams of a substance that contained heroin, and then brought it across the North Dakota border to Fargo-Moorhead to distribute.

Each suspect is charged with possessing heroin with the intent to distribute and distributing the drug, the Forum reported (http://bit.ly/rWrpO4 ). The charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.

Five of the defendants have pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Fargo. They are Ramsey Coltrane Crespo; Isaac Gustav Escobedo; Britney Nicole Fairbanks; Tyrone Lafonz John Parker; and Anthony Lamont Johnson.

The sixth defendant, Douglas Levon Mobley — also known as Jonathan Banks — was being held at the Hennepin County Jail in Minneapolis, the newspaper reported.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration placed a federal hold on Mobley on Nov. 3, court documents show.

A jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 3 and is expected to take up to 10 days if all the defendants go to trial.

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