Woman Sentenced For Role In Cocaine Trafficking Operation

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court in St. Paul, a 41-year-old Hopkins woman was sentenced for conspiring to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine between May of 2009 and April of 2011. United States District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced Daphne Denise Walker to 120 months in prison on one count of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Walker was indicted along with two co-defendants on February 22, 2012, and pleaded guilty on August 27, 2012.

Following today’s sentencing, Dan Moren, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Minneapolis-St. Paul Field Office, said, “Ms. Walker served as an important extension of the violent Raymond Avenue Crips street gang and was a significant source of supply for crack cocaine being distributed in north Minneapolis. Federal arrests of the gang’s significant members and leaders dealt a swift blow, thwarting the gang’s ability to continue drug and weapon trafficking and acts of violence in Minnesota.”

In her plea agreement, Walker admitted that from May 5, 2009, through April 2, 2011, she conspired with others to distribute 280 or more grams of crack cocaine. Specifically, Walker admitted having an agreement with Gregory Hopkins to supply her with cocaine and crack cocaine on a regular basis. Walker would then distribute the drugs to her customers.

On December 19, 2012, co-defendant Jose Ramon Salgado Roacho, age 24, of Brooklyn Park, was sentenced to 28 months on one count of conspiracy to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine. He pleaded guilty on May 10, 2012. In his plea agreement, Roacho admitted he acted as a cocaine source for Hopkins and others.

On August 31, 2012, co-defendant Reinor Bonnick, age 35, of St. Paul, was sentenced to 90 months in prison on one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He pleaded guilty on May 21, 2012. In his plea agreement, Bonnick admitted he facilitated multiple cocaine transactions between Roacho and Hopkins. The total amount of cocaine involved in those transactions was between 500 grams and two kilograms.

In a related case, eight individuals were sentenced in connection with distributing controlled substances. All eight were charged on August 17, 2011, in a superseding indictment and pleaded guilty:

On July 12, 2012, Gregory Lamont Hopkins, age 36, of Minneapolis, was sentenced to 162 months in prison on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

On April 27, 2012, Gregory Keaton, age 56, of Coon Rapids, was sentenced to 150 months on one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.

On April 19, 2012, Deellis Shannon, age 28, no known address, was sentenced to 120 months on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of being felon in possession of a firearm.
On May 7, 2012, Derrick Bonnick, age 37, of Bloomington, was sentenced to 84 months on one count of conspiracy and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On February 7, 2012, Desmond Lee Brown, age 36, of Minneapolis, was sentenced to 68 months on one count of conspiracy.

On April 20, 2012, Manuel Dario Ramos, age 41, of Bloomington, was sentenced to 42 months one count of distribution of cocaine and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On June 26, 2012, Mohammad Mazhary, age 63, of Burnsville, was sentenced to 30 months on one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises.

On September 25, 2012, Talaysha Johnson, age 34, of Minneapolis, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison on one count of conspiracy.

According to court documents filed in the related case, authorities began their investigation in October of 2010. On February 3, 2011, police made a controlled purchase of 25.3 grams of crack cocaine from Hopkins in Richfield. On July 11, 2011, police conducted a trash pull on Brown’s residence and recovered two plastic baggies containing cocaine residue. On August 2, 2011, authorities executed a search warrant at Brown’s residence and recovered approximately 302 grams of crack cocaine, approximately 138 grams of cocaine, two digital scales, and five guns. On July 8, 2011, police executed a search warrant at Keaton’s residence as well as in his van. Inside the van, officers recovered approximately 197.3 grams of crack cocaine and approximately 175.28 grams of cocaine. In Keaton’s residence, police seized $9,400 in cash, drug packaging materials, two digital scales, and numerous baggies containing traces of cocaine and crack cocaine.

Both of these cases were investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bloomington Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the St. Paul Police Department, the Richfield Police Department, and the Minneapolis Police Department. They were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen.