PORTLAND, Ore. A federal judge on Monday sentenced 42-year-old James Terrance Warren, also known as T-Hogg, to ten years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine dealing ring.
In April, Warren pled guilty to distributing 50 grams or more of cocaine base, in the form of crack cocaine. Later in May, 58-year-old James Lonnie Yoakum was sentenced to 13 years.
Yoakum was described as the kingpin of the Crips cocaine-trafficking ring. Investigators said Portland barbecue restaurant Yam Yam's was a front to launder money, with dealers selling about 10 kilograms or $300,000 worth of cocaine every month.
Yoakum was the first of eight defendants to be sentenced; the rest followed his lead, pleading guilty to various drug conspiracy charges.
The Metro Gang Enforcement Team spent months using wiretaps to intercept Yoakum's cell phone calls, listening to nearly 3,000 conversations. They also conducted video surveillance of his home and his ex-wife's home and even picked through his trash.
Yoakum obtained cocaine from sources in California and Oregon, and then distributed it, either by himself or with others' help, to large and midlevel dealers in Portland and Vancouver, Wash., federal prosecutors say. The cocaine ring included several Crips gang members and affiliates.
