Jury chosen for Yassine suspect's trial

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A jury has been seated for the Dec. 4 trial for another of the 10 people charged and accused in running a cocaine drug ring from a number of Downtown Austin bars.

The trial of Nizar "Nino" Hakiki will take place before Jude Sam Sparks in a new courthouse, set for a move-in the week before the trial.

Hakiki is charged with:

• conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine
• distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine
• transferring a firearm knowing it is to be used in a drug trafficking crime

The bars, owned by Yassine Enterprises, were closed in a Federal Bureau of Investigation raid in March.

In October, one of the 10 accused, Karim Faiq, was found in Miami, Fla., after he had been deported from Honduras. Police said the 29-year-old Manor resident fled the U.S. following his initial court appearance in March, when he was released on bail.

On Oct. 19, Steve Yassine , one of the brothers charged in the case, pleaded guilty to a drug-distribution charge and will be deported after he serves sentence. Yassine is a citizen of the Ivory Coast.