SHENANGO VALLEY Jury indicts 3 family members

Authorities said Operation Idaho resulted in 17 indictments of 19 individuals.
PITTSBURGH -- The indictments of three members of a Shenango Valley family represents the culmination of a five-year investigation into multiple crack cocaine distribution conspiracies in the Sharon-Farrell area.
Mark Hopson, 32, of Baldwin Avenue, Sharon, and his mother, Sarah Hopson, 61, of Beechwood Avenue, Farrell, as well as relative James L. Hopson III, 29, of Cedar Avenue, Sharon, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on Monday.
Authorities didn't know the exact relationship between James and Sarah but said they are relatives.
Federal and local investigators raided all three of their homes Aug. 30, 2002.
About the charges
James Hopson was indicted on charges of conspiring to distribute crack cocaine and money laundering to hide the proceeds of his reported illegal drug trafficking, said Michael A. Comber, Assistant United States Attorney, who presented the case to the grand jury.
Mark and Sarah Hopson were jointly indicted on the same charges in a separate case.
Comber said Mark Hopson conspired with others to distribute more than 1.75 ounces of crack cocaine from 1998 through 2002.
Further, Mark Hopson is also accused of conspiring with his mother and others to launder the proceeds of reported illegal drug trafficking, Comber said.
Mark Hopson is a convicted felon and was in possession of a firearm, an illegal act, Aug. 30, 2002, Combine said.
All three defendants could face life imprisonment if convicted on all charges, Comber said. They are believed to be in federal custody.
The probe, dubbed Operation Idaho in an apparent reference to a high drug-trafficking area along Idaho Street in Farrell, resulted in a total of 17 indictments of 19 individuals, combine said.
Sharon police, Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service participated in the investigation, Combine said.