Fed grand jury indicts 24 people

Kim Smith

Thursday, Aug. 5, 1999 | 10:44 a.m.

Twenty-four people were indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday, including three men accused of using a pet store to sell methamphetamine ingredients and two men who reportedly disrupted airplane flights.

According to one of the 10 indictments issued Wednesday, Carlos Bertolo, Daniel Pragosa and Enrique Macias sold iodine crystals and red phosphorous out of Bertolo's pet store knowing that the items could be used to make methamphetamine.

The indictment charges Bertolo purchased the ingredients from a variety of places, including a veterinary supply store in Phoenix and a scientific products company in Brisbane, Calif. He then had the items shipped to his pet store, according to the indictment.

Pragosa and Macias worked as clerks at the pet store and conspired with Bertolo to distribute the iodine, according to the indictment.

Also indicted Wednesday were Hung Cong Duong and Thomas Thi Shaw in connection with two unrelated airplane incidents.

Duong was indicted on one count of interference with a flight crew and four counts of assault as a result of a July 24 Delta flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta.

According to the indictment, Duong "assaulted and intimidated" flight attendants on the flight, struck a woman several times in the head, struck a 12-year-old girl in the head and shoulder and caused hot coffee to be dumped on a 17-month-old baby.

Shaw was indicted on one count each of interference with a flight crew and assault in connection with a Dec. 30 Southwest Airlines flight from San Diego to Las Vegas.

Shaw assaulted and intimidated the flight attendants and placed a man in a "headlock" during the flight, the indictment states.

Others indicted Wednesday were:

* Donald R. Simmons -- Willful failure to pay child support.

* Atef Salami Nemer Hirchedd, Kamilo Yuseff Mousali and Orlando Sanchez Medina -- Conspiracy to possess and pass counterfeit obligations of the United States.

* Jose A. Mayorga and Alberto Garcia -- Distribution of a controlled substance.

* Francisco Javier Lupersio -- Escape.

* Javier Medina Palacios, Lisa Ann Dove and Emanuel Pardo -- Distribution of a controlled substance, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and aiding and abetting.

* Tio Burris, Dontae Woods, Burnell Morrison, Tammy Clemens, Chrysandra Daniels, Daniel Fein, Curtis O'Neal and Larry Shuart -- Conspiracy.