Suspected Detroit drug dealer Michael Bender turns self in

DETROIT (WJBK) - A 31-year-old Detroit man the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) was searching for that was armed and dangerous after they rounded up five other men he's connected to has turned himself in.

Michael Bender, 31, was wanted on narcotics and weapons charges after being indicted on Wednesday. He and five other men - Thaddeus White II, Andre Lamar Jr, Terrell White, Duane Gibson and Lawrence Rudd - were indicted on charges of possessing and distributing narcotics. Those five were in custody Wednesday.

"ATF and its partners the Detroit Police Department, Michigan State Police, and the Department of Corrections executed a series of warrants on the west side of Detroit," ATF Special Agent in Charge James Deir said.

Four of the men were arrested inside a home on Mansfield Wednesday morning. The fifth, Thaddeus White, was already in custody. 

Bender, however, was nowhere to be found.

"We have organizations throughout Detroit that are peddling poison everywhere they are - everywhere they go," Deir said.

He says Bender was considered particularly dangerous as many of these dealers use guns to intimidate and to protect their stash and turf. 

"They are using these weapons to hold communities hostage."

The ATF says Bender has been committing crimes for the last decade from selling drugs, stealing, and running from the police.