Cocaine bust in dorm leads to arrests

Three Fort Wayne natives, including one IU student, are facing charges related to the sale of cocaine after an IUPD undercover operation came to an end this weekend. \nIUPD Detective Dave Hannum, who led the sting, said Michael D. Roberts, an IU freshman, was taken into custody from his Briscoe Quad dorm room, around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. Shortly after that in the parking lot outside of Tulip Tree Apartments, police arrested Brandon M. Graft, 18, a high school senior from Fort Wayne. A minor from Fort Wayne was also arrested in connection.\nThe arrests came after a four-month undercover investigation by IUPD, Hannum said. \n“Confidential sources led to finding out how the drugs were getting into town,” Hannum said. \nThe origin of the drugs, at least in this case, was Fort Wayne.\n“Graft was bringing cocaine and ecstasy down to Bloomington, to Roberts, and Roberts was helping to dispense it,” Hannum said. \nAn undercover officer was able to develop a report with Roberts, with whom he made a purchase from several weeks ago and again this past weekend, Hannum said.\nGraft told the undercover officer he would bring a half-ounce of cocaine with him to IU this weekend, an amount that sells for about $750 on the street, Hannum added. \nWhen all was said and done, undercover officers had purchased $390 worth of cocaine this weekend during their undercover operation. \nGraft faces two preliminary charges of dealing cocaine, a class A felony, and a class B felony of maintaining a common nuisance.\nRoberts faces a preliminary class B felony charge of dealing cocaine, for both this weekend’s sale and previous transactions, along with a Class D felony for maintaining a common nuisance. \nBoth men were taken to Monroe County Jail.\nThere was also a juvenile involved with the sale, who was taken to the youth shelter, Hannum said. He will be referred to the youth court.\n“If there were any doubt, I wouldn’t have charged (the juvenile),” Hannum said, “but it was obvious, because the undercover was in the car with them, and they were discussing prices and amounts. There’s no doubt that he knew what was going on.”\nThe arrests come less than a week after two IU students were apprehended by IUPD on cocaine-related charges on Feb. 13 following another extended sting led by Hannum. \nHannum explains the recent trend of cocaine arrests as cyclical.\n“It comes in spurts,” Hannum said. “It really just depends on where I get my information and which way it directs me.”\nHannum says he is satisfied with what IUPD has been able to do, given their budget. \n“There’s no way I can get to the source,” Hannum said. “I just don’t have enough man power. I’ve got one or two people that were dealing it here, and I cut off their supply. Given the funds that I have, I really just try to cut off the flow. You try to get as high as you can.” \nHannum also said the “spurt” of cocaine arrests is not over. \n“There’s other people that will be charged as a result,” Hannum said. “I just haven’t gotten warrants yet.”