Six Arraigned in Baraga Drug Bust

Six of the 17 people involved in a large drug bust from late 2014 appeared in 97th District Court Tuesday morning. 32-year-old Corey Haataja of L’Anse; 43-year-old Angela Salbashian of L’Anse; 55-year-old Brenda Maki of Nisula; 41-year-old Thomas Bianco of Baraga; 52-year-old Mark Lahti of Baraga; and 73-year-old Warren Selden of Pelkie were arraigned on several narcotics related charges. Haataja is charged with delivery/manufacture of less than 50 grams of morphine. Salbashian faces the same count and an additional count of delivery/manufacture of less than 50 grams of oxycodone. Maki and Bianco were arrainged on charges of delivery/manufacture of suboxone. Maki faces one count while Bianco faces three. Lahti was arraigned on two counts: delivery/manufacture of less than 50 grams of hydrocodone and conspiracy to commit delivery/manufacture of less than 50 grams of hydrocodone. Selden is charged with delivery/manufacture of less than 50 grams of hydromorphone. The charges stem from various offenses dating back to 2013. All six will return to court for a preliminary exam on January 20th. These six, along with 11 others, were arrested on December 17th after a year-long joint investigation between the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team, the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Five of the 17 suspects were previously arraigned in federal court in December, and the remaining six have already been arraigned in tribal court.