Six men with ties to an African immigrant gang have been charged with drug trafficking and firearms violations

Sara Jean Green:

Six men with ties to an East African gang operating in Seattle's University District have been charged with drug trafficking and firearms violations in U.S. District Court, the latest in a series of arrests since August that have netted drugs, cash and weapons.

The arrests were announced at a news conference this morning. Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said the gang, known as the East African Posse, is responsible for terrorizing residents and students living around the University of Washington.

There are at least six other cases now pending in U.S. District Court as a result of the months-long investigation that's been dubbed "Operation End Game" the chief said. In addition to "open-air drug dealing," especially on the Ave, members of the East African Posse are suspected of kidnappings, assaults and prostitution. Kerlikowske said his detectives are also looking at links between the gang and at least one unsolved homicide.

Though Kerlikowske declined to discuss the homicide, a police spokesman said it was "a good bet" the chief was referring to the May slaying of 21-year-old Demsas Tesfay, a member of Seattle's Eritrean community. Tesfay was fatally shot while sitting inside a parked sport-utility vehicle in the 4200 block of Pasadena Place Northeast.

So far, 14 people have been arrested and several suspects remain at large, including two of the six men named in the 32-count indictment filed last month. The four men arrested last week are Tewoldeberhan Mekonnen, Daniel Mengisteab Yohannes, Robel Mekonen, and Liban Farah Ali. Officers are still looking for Awad Yimer Aynisher and Merhawi Hagos Haile.

Officers also seized two vehicles, $70,000 in cash, 800 grams of cocaine with an estimated street value of $56,000 and three weapons - two handguns and an SKS assault rifle with a folding bayonet.

The arrests were made by members of the Violent Gang Task Force, a multi-agency group led by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with members from the FBI and the Seattle Police Department.

"We think we've made a significant dent in their infrastructure," said ATF Special Agent-in-Charge, Kelvin Crenshaw. More arrests are expected, he said. The majority of suspects already in custody are naturalized U.S. citizens, he said.

6 arrests tied to E. African gang