ALBANY — Five men, each suspected of dealing crack cocaine near housing developments in Pelham, appeared before a federal judge Thursday for initial court appearances just hours after being arrested in a massive roundup of suspected drug dealers in Mitchell County.

Law enforcement officials arrested 10 people, all charged with drug-related offenses, Pelham Police Chief Neallie McCormick said.

The arrests, first reported on Albanyherald.com, come as a result of a four-month investigation into drug operations in Pelham, McCormick said.
“The drug problem in Pelham is no worse than anywhere else, but any drug problem is too much,” McCormick said. “We have an obligation to keep our streets safe and this is one effort to accomplish that.”

The raids began in the early morning hours as federal, state and local law enforcement served arrest warrants, search warrants and seizure warrants on properties throughout the area. National Guard units affiliated with the narcotics interdiction squad also provided air support during the operation.

By mid-day, 10 people had been arrested in Operation Securing Tomorrow, the code name for the event. More arrests are possible, investigators say.

At 4 p.m., five men nabbed in the roundup who were charged with federal drug crimes, were brought before U.S. District Judge Louis Sands at the federal courthouse in Albany.

Those men — brothers Joshua Griffin and Dexter Griffin, Denerick Brown, Treneavious Arline and Kenneth “Keith” DeWayne Cooper — each waived their right to an attorney for the initial appearance and heard the multi-count indictments against them.

Brown, who appeared before Sands without shoes and only one sock on his right foot, is facing a two-count indictment alleging he possessed and sold crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a housing project in Pelham. Each count carries up to a 40-year prison term and a $2 million fine. Despite an existing parole violation from state authorities, he was granted a $10,000 bond and placed on supervised release.

Arline next appeared before Sands. He has been indicted with four counts of drug related offenses alleging he too sold crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a housing development. As with Brown, each count carries up to 40 years and a $2 million fine. Because of the amount of cocaine he is charged with possessing and selling, the U.S. Attorney’s office filed a motion to detain Arline until trial.

A hearing has been set for 10 a.m. Tuesday for Sands to hear that matter. Arline will remain detained until then.

Cooper is charged in a six-count indictment. In counts one through four, he’s accused of selling crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a housing development, which carries a 40 year maximum sentence and $2 million fine.

Counts five and six allege he had five grams or more of cocaine in his possession and carry a minimum five year sentence with a 40-year maximum.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Crane also filed a motion against releasing Cooper based on the amount of cocaine he was allegedly found with. His detention hearing is set for Tuesday at 10 a.m. as well.

The Griffin brothers, along with Desmond Crimley, who has yet to be apprehended, are co-defendants in a 14-count indictment alleging a variety of drug crimes that include dealing crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a housing development and possession with intent to distribute.
Joshua Griffin is also charged with possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine. If found guilty, Griffin faces up to life in prison for that one count, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Crane again moved to have the Griffin detained until trial. A source familiar with the investigation said that the move is based on a threat that Joshua Griffin is believed to have made during his arrest.
While being rounded up, Griffin reportedly threatened to kill the family of a drug agent. The incident is believed to have been caught on camera by a reporter from WCTV’s Thomasville Bureau.

The station however, told federal authorities on Thursday that they would have to subpoena the footage before they would consider turning it over.

“I haven’t seen it yet so frankly I don’t know what is on it or what isn’t on it,” WCTV News Director Mike Smith said. “They did contact us about the footage and our policy is basically that if they subpoena it, we will consider the subpoena.”

The footage may be key evidence in Joshua Griffin’s detention hearing Tuesday which will ultimately decide whether he remains locked away until trial or is released and placed under pre-trial supervision.

During his initial appearance, Dexter Griffin asked Sands if they would be given access to a law library and whether Crimley was going to be arrested like them, Sands refused to get into the specifics of the case and said that Griffin’s attorney would have full access to any materials they need.