The U.S. Attorney’s office in Grand Rapids has announced the arrest of eight suspects who it says were part of an international cocaine ring based in New Buffalo. U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge says the investigation centered around 32-year-old Ivan Huerta Hernandez of New Buffalo. He says Hernandez used conduits in Mexico and was supplied by sources in Chicago. He allegedly distributed cocaine to dealers in west Michigan and northern Indiana. On Wednesday morning, around 90 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers executed arrest warrants and search warrants in west Michigan, northern Indiana, northern Illinois, and central Illinois. They seized around two kilograms of suspected cocaine and about $100,000 in cash. In addition to Hernandez, those charged include 42-year-old Marcus Jemel Johnson of Benton Harbor, 62-year-old Donald James Rogers of New Buffalo, and five others from Michigan City, Laporte, Chicago, and Greenville, South Carolina.
