News briefs for Feb. 24, 2004

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2004 | 10:32 a.m.

More crews join search for plane

The Civil Air Patrol added aircraft and crews from Northern Nevada this morning to the search for a plane missing since Feb. 16.

The Northern Nevada crews will join Southern Nevada crews in searching for Lt. Russell Bates, a Marine, and Casey Ferrone, a teacher from San Diego. They left North Las Vegas Airport last week to return to San Diego but never arrived.

Poor weather in the areas surrounding a 900-square-mile search area slowed the search over the weekend, said Major Cynthia Ryan of the Civil Air Patrol's Nevada Wing Headquarters.

No trace of the missing aircraft has been found, Ryan said.

20 indicted in marijuana case

Twenty people from six states including one Las Vegas man have been indicted on federal drug conspiracy and bribery charges in connection with the distribution of more than 40 tons of Mexican marijuana in the Detroit area since 1991, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Nineteen of the 20 defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. Seven of them are charged with conspiring to obstruct a criminal investigation by bribery.

Gunnar Olson, 37, of Las Vegas is among the defendants who acted as couriers, distributors, record keepers or otherwise aided the conspiracy, the indictment said.

The men allegedly shipped marijuana to Detroit after acquiring it from suppliers in Mexico. The drugs at first were carried in cars, then heavy-duty pickup trucks and finally a moving van, the indictment said.

As of Monday, 17 of the 20 defendants had been arrested, including Olson.

Dolan announces run for Assembly

Republican Bill Dolan announced today he will run for Assembly District 1, a seat that Democrat Tom Collins plans to vacate so he can challenge County Commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey.

Dolan, a 49-year-old cardiovascular surgical nurse at University Medical Center, said he would focus on health care issues in Nevada, including the state's nursing shortage and the number of people who are uninsured or underinsured.

He has served on a variety of local boards and is an executive board member of the Clark County Republican Party.