Four indicted in Merced County drug case

Two men from Merced and two from Turlock were indicted Thursday on federal drug trafficking allegations in connection with arrests made in May after a high-speed chase, the U.S. Justice Department reported.

The indictments were part of a large wire-tap investigation in Merced County targeting area street gangs and drug dealers that resulted in 78 arrests in May, DOJ spokeswoman Lauren Horwood confirmed.

A federal grand jury returned three-count indictments against Raymond Slaton, 43, and Sidney Allen, 48, both of Merced, and Donnell Mays, 39, and Omar Lopez, 22, both of Turlock.

The allegations stem from a pair of arrests made May 20 in Merced following a high-speed chase, officials said.

According to court documents, Mays and Lopez delivered half a kilogram of cocaine to Allen’s home and left the area. Merced police tried to stop the vehicle on an unspecified code violation in the 1200 block of Martin Luther King Way, but the driver, later identified as Lopez, did not stop.

A high-speed chase ensued through south Merced, ending in the area of East Mission Avenue and Henry Street, Merced police reported in May.

“While Mays and Lopez were pursued by patrol units from the Merced Police Department, a bag containing the half kilogram of cocaine was thrown from their car,” Justice Department officials said in a news release issued Thursday.

Numerous agencies were involved in the large-scale investigation including the Drug Enforcement Administration, California Department of Justice, Merced Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Merced Gang Task Force, and Merced Narcotics Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly A. Sanchez and Daniel Griffin are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Slaton, Mays and Allen face a minimum of 10 years in prison each and could receive lifetime sentences and fines of $10 million each. Lopez faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, officials said.

This story was originally published June 25, 2015 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Four indicted in Merced County drug case."