Feds say cocaine bust is Fort Wayne area's largest

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - Federal law enforcement officials say they have made the largest cocaine bust in the history of northeast Indiana.

U.S. Attorney David Capp said Tuesday the indictments and arrests of five individuals brought serious disruption to a cocaine trafficking ring.

Alan Bates of Fort Wayne, 66-year-old James Lepper of Butler, 63-year-old Larry Norton of Mission, Texas, 52-year-old Eric White of Fort Wayne, and 35-year-old Ryan Bowman of Payne, Ohio are accused of conspiracy to deliver more than five kilograms of cocaine.

Also charged in a separate indictment was 40-year-old DeWayne Lewis of Greenwood.

However, authorities say it wasn't until the arrest of the ringleader, the 37-year-old Bates, that the scale of the operation was revealed.

Capp says officials seized more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, nearly $6 million in cash and a number of firearms and vehicles.