The Times from Munster, Indiana • 163

www.nwitimes.com THE TIMES VP TUESDAY MARCH 28 2006 PAGE B5 Drug kingpin sentenced to life Hoosier Hispanics face immigration and language snags gang under surveillance estimate it earned between $2 million and $4 million in revenues during the summer of 1998. Jay Zambrana used the now-defunct Ultimate Motor Sales, an auto dealership near Ridge Road and Buchanan in Gary's Glen Park section, as a front for his drug trafficking operation, federal authorities claim. He also laundered drug profits through the sale and purchase of automobiles and gambling at local casinos to reinforce the appearance that his wealth was legally earned. Federal authorities kept the gang under surveillance and gathered evidence until they arrested Zambrana arid many of his co-defendants six years ago. I Fourteen gang members eventually pleaded guilty.

Northwest Indiana. Zambrana also was convicted of using two former Gary police officers, James Ervin and Luis Roman, as security guards for his drug operation and of ordering Ervin to extort money from competitors and execute Chicago drug dealers Raul Huartado and Gil Nevarez in 1998. Ervin allegedly helped strangle the two victims with an electrical extension cord on the stage of the Puerto Rican Beneficia Club, 400 E. 5th Gary. Ervin is accused of putting their bodies into the trunk of a 1985 Ford Crown Victoria and setting it ablaze in the 7100 block of Harvard Street on Chicago's South Side.

Roman served a four-month sentence for failing to report a car sale part of Zambrana's system of laundering drug money to make it appear legitimate. Ervin also is serving a life sentence. It is not the first drug conviction for Zambrana. He and his father, Jesus Zambrana, used The Farm, an area on Gary's west side in the early 1980s, to store a large amount of illicit drugs. Federal authorities seized the drugs in the 1980s as part of a massive drug raid across Northwest Indiana and the Midwest that resulted in the arrests of 120 suspects, including the Zambranas.

The two Zambranas were convicted in 1986 of drug trafficking. Jesus Zambrana was sentenced to 40 years in prison and Jay Zambrana to 35 years. Both were released early. Federal authorities said the family was back in the drug business by 1997. Investigators who had the Feds: Zambrana's crime business worth millions BY BILL DOLAN bdolannwitimes.com 219.662.5328 A federal judge has sentenced Northwest Indiana drug kingpin Jay Zambrana to life imprisonment for flooding Northwest Indiana with cocaine.

U.S. District Court Judge Theresa Springmann recommended last week that the 44-year-old former Valparaiso man spend the rest of his days at the federal prison in either Terre Haute or Pekin, 111. The sentencing came Thursday in Fort Wayne, 28 months after a jury there found him guilty of directing a gang of 16 co-defendants in the importation of millions of dollars in illicit drugs into KEY FINDINGS Only 74 Indiana Hispanic-owned businesses are certified with the state. This low number could be attributed to the many pitfalls that Hispanic-owned businesses encounter through the certification process. Hispanic buying power in Indiana was $4.9 billion in 2005 and will increase to $7.1 billion in 2010.

In 2001, the Indiana Healthcare Professional Development Commission reported that only 2.5 percent of active physicians were Hispanic. TO VIEW THE REPORT Those seeking to view the full "Report of Findings Recommendations 2004-2005," by the Indiana Commission on HispanicLatino Affairs, and the group's strategic plan for 2006-08, can visit www.in.govichla or contact Director Amy Mendoza at (317)233-5048 or AMendozadwd.IN.gov. Clay enters the fold GARY Rudy Clay has cham- the same themes that have pioned benefits for senior cit- won him election in the state izens and complained utility Legislature and county gov- for Gary mayor job ernment during more than job, to be decided at an April three decades. 4 party caucus at the Genesis Now he's after the mayor's Convention Center. -THE TIMES buy lite insurance and save on your home and car.

hen you buy your life insurance from us through Auto Insurance, you'll receive special discounts on your home and i Auto-Owners agent, we take great interest in you as well as your home and car. Stop in our agency and ask us about it today! 1759 Thornapple Circle Valparaiso 464-3535 Owners 'VMf A AutO'Owners Insurance Life Home Car Business Lenten Specials FRIDAY t.W ''Si? Early Bird Specials 4:00 pm Enjoy Our Nightly specials New Kansas City Strip State report outlines findings, suggestions BY JERRY DAVICH jdavichnwitimes.com 219.933.3376 The Indiana Commission on HispanicLatino Affairs has made several key recommendations to the governor and state lawmakers to "bridge the gap" Hoosier Hispanics face on a daily basis. One is to "make clear the distinction between a state's law enforcement duties and federal immigration procedures." Another is to "develop and implement professional standards for teachers and staff in the areas of cultural competency and language training," depending on Latino students' needs. These are part of the commission's new and lengthy "Report of Findings Recommendations 2004-2005," which showcases key trends, data and, objectives for the state's growing Hispanic community, currently estimated at 270,000. The bottom-line goal of the report, released to the public Monday, is not only to raise awareness of Hispanic issues to state lawmakers and various agencies, but also to generate a response and reaction, commission Director Amy Mendoza said.

Commission member and state Rep. John Aguilera, D-East Chicago, said he already has been working toward getting many of the report's initiatives implemented. "I put together a document to all legislators at the end of the session asking them to consider working with the Hispanic community when developing legislation," Aguilera said. The commission also released its first strategic plan 2006-08, designed to set specific and tangible goals affecting Hispanics, whose biggest obstacles remain language and cultural barriers. The plan includes the creation of several committees to PORTER COUNTY Museum manager to give presentation Porter County resident Alan Resetar, collection manager in the Division of Amphibians and Reptiles at The Field Museum in Chicago, will present a slide program entitled "The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Kankakee River and Vicinity." The program will highlight the species found north and south of the Kankakee River.

The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. today at Kouts Library, 101 E. Daumer Road. The Kankakee River and its associated marshes once represented a significant dividing line for amphibians and reptiles. Several sand '1 Pain from 1 rve Regional offer recommendations on such controversial issues as new drivers license standards and federal immigration policies, as well as education, economic development, health and housing.

Some of the report's findings include: Just more than half of all U.S. Hispanic students graduate high school each year, but only 16 percent of them leave high school "college-ready." Although many Hispanic workers maintain more than one job, a large gap persists between the national household median income and the Hispanic household median income. Hispanic workers face two primary problems: immigration status and English-language training. In addition to generating responses and interaction with the governor, legislature and state agencies, a report summary also will be made available to public libraries and schools, as well as be released in Spanish at a later date, Mendoza said. prairie species such as the ornate box turtle and the bullsnake only occurred south of the river.

Resetar would like to hear from residents who have interesting observations on Kankakee-area amphibians and reptiles and know about interesting sites where surveys can be conducted. PORTER COUNTY Union Township road closing announced The Porter County Highway Department will close County Road 375 West in Union Township today and Wednesday from County Road 400 North to Ind. 130 for culvert replacement, weather permitting. fWttHI SmIbisssI SWSMkIS I nmn rates are too high many times before. But Monday, he began making those arguments as a candidate for mayor of Gary.

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