Bloomington Police Make Big Coke Bust

By Greg Cima, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

Mar. 9–BLOOMINGTON — Bloomington police arrested six people and seized more than a pound of cocaine, the largest amount ever confiscated by the department, in a parking lot Tuesday night on the city’s south side.

The cocaine, valued about $51,000, and about $4,000 in cash were taken in a bust about 6 p.m. in a restaurant parking lot at the intersection of South Main Street and Hamilton Road, police said.

Bloomington police spokesman Duane Moss said the amount of cocaine recovered Tuesday was slightly more than the previous record amount, which was confiscated during a search about three years ago.

Police arrested Eric Brooks, 33, and William Phelps, 31, of Georgetown, Ill.; Phelps’ sister, Brittani, 20, of Danville; Donnie Johnson, 30, of Deland, Miss.; and Marcus Johnson and Stephen Flores, both 25 and of Danville.

Officers also searched homes in Danville and Georgetown, confiscating a small amount of cocaine in Danville and a gun in Georgetown, Moss said.

Moss said an undercover officer bought cocaine from the group while about 20 other officers waited nearby. The accused people arrived in an sport utility vehicle and two passenger cars, and none was armed, he said.

The driver of an SUV containing three of the people arrested tried to drive away, Moss said, but was quickly stopped. Moss said he did not know who was in each vehicle or the models of the vehicles.

Moss said he was not aware of a connection between any of those arrested and McLean County.

As for the size of the bust, Moss said he thinks officers are catching more cocaine dealers, rather than there being more cocaine in the community.

“I think it’s just we have better information — more information — in each year,” Moss said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

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