Cocaine 'kingpin' suspect at center of NE Portland bust

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A major cocaine trafficking ring bust involved an accused drug kingpin, dozens of guns and a Portland restaurant detectives think was used to launder the money.

Federal agents and local gang investigators arrested 19 people, seized pounds of cocaine and more than $100,000 in cash during their 10-month long investigation. In all, 24 people have been indicted in the case, and police expect to make more arrests.

Monday morning, agents and Metro Gang Task Force officers laid out the evidence in "Operation Gang Strike."

Officers said 58-year-old James Yoakum ran a large Crips gang cocaine-trafficking ring and used a Northeast Portland barbeque restaurant as a front to launder his money. Yoakum's son, Jaricho Ray Yoakum, was arrested in Portland on a robbery and attempted murder warrant out of Los Angeles.

Agents also arrested Lonnell Demarcus George, the suspect in an August 20 Northeast Portland gang shooting.

Officers used wiretaps and round-the-clock surveillance to keep tabs on the operation investigators think put about $300,000 worth of cocaine on the street every month.

Police raided several locations during the investigation, including a Gresham in-home daycare that has since been closed down. The total amount of drugs seized was three pounds of crack cocaine and seven pounds of powder cocaine.

"Cocaine is the fuel of gang activity, drugs are the fuel of gang activity, so if gang activity is the engine, drugs are the fuel and at the end, exhaust -- violence, shooting, abuse," David Anderson of the Metro Gang Task Force said.

(KGW Reporter Kyle Iboshi contributed to this report)

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