U.S. marshals nab suspected drug lord in L.A.

A suspected drug kingpin named on the U.S. Marshals Service’s “15 Most Wanted” fugitives list, who was sought on charges of conspiracy to distribute drugs, running a continuing criminal enterprise and conspiracy to launder money, has been captured in Los Angeles by the marshals’ Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Keith Hasson, 45, who was added June 6 to the “Most Wanted” list, was arrested without incident Wednesday in an apartment northwest of downtown Los Angeles, between Burbank and Thousand Oaks. He had been named on a 2005 open indictment handed up in federal court in New Mexico.

According to the Marshals Service, Hasson was considered the leader of a criminal enterprise responsible for large-scale distribution of cocaine and marijuana throughout the United States. Authorities said his organization operated from 1999 to 2005, generating more than $20 million in cash and assets. His brother, Anthony Hasson, received more than 24 years in prison for his conviction in the same criminal case.

Geoff Shank, acting assistant director of the Marshals Service’s Investigative Operations Division, said Hasson’s extensive criminal history, dating back to 1981, included arrests for attempted murder, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, vehicle theft, burglary and possession with intent to distribute.

Hasson, who also was wanted for questioning in two gang-related murders, had a previous federal conviction for conspiracy to deliver cocaine, Mr. Shank said.

Investigators believe Hasson had access to significant financial resources and was continuing to organize a criminal enterprise. They said he has family ties and associates across the nation, including in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Missouri, New York, North Carolina and Georgia.

“Keith Hasson had a long run as a leader of a criminal organization,” Mr. Shank said. “Thanks to the marshals and their law enforcement partners, that long run has come to an end.”