Tag Archives: marijuana

20 Indicted for Marijuana Trafficking Ring

January 22, 2013blogarrest, ATF, DEA, drug trafficking, HIDTA, HSI, ICE, indictment, IRS, IRS-CI, marijuana, narcotics, OCDETF, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task ForceAlex Meyerovich

A federal indictment, returned by a grand jury December 2012, was unsealed Friday, January 18, 2013, charging 20 Dallas-Fort Worth area residents with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.

More than half of the defendants are in custody, following an operation this week conducted by the following law enforcement agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI); the Dallas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA); the Desoto, Dallas, Balch Springs, Arlington and Midlothian police departments; Dallas County Sheriff’s Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.

This announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

During the course of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation, law enforcement executed federal and state search warrants that resulted in the seizure of about 25 pounds of hydroponic marijuana, more than 600 marijuana plants, 10 vehicles and five firearms.

The indictment charges the below-named defendants in the drug conspiracy:

Sylvespa Eugene Adams, aka “Sylvesta Adams,” “Pa,” and “Paw,” 25,
Alma Diane Smith, aka “Diane Williams,” 30,
Michael Wayne-Cortez Ayers, aka “Big Mike,” 33,
Isaac Demon Mathis, aka “Ike” “Issac Damone Mathis,” 30,
David Laploise Jones, aka “Nino,” 31,
Kory Lamonte Crayton, aka “Mokmu Tave” and “Coon,” 39,
Taurus Kion Silmom, aka “T.K.,” 30,
Nathan Dewayne Brown, 21,
Connell Heads, 50,
Marvin Jamel Fantroy, aka “Seven,” 32,
Lamondrius Denard Kidd, 28,
Modrick Jamal Spencer, 28,
Waymon Madison, 39,
Edward Lee Witherspoon, 50,
Robin James Criss, aka “June Bug,” 30,
Andre Demacus Reid, aka “Black,” 27,
Rachael O’Neal, 20,
Natasha Brown, 34,
Jovanna Renee Bonner, 19, and
Precious Starr Lecreas Gowans, 30.

Defendants Sylvespa Eugene Adams and Alma Diane Smith are also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment alleges that since January 2010, Adams and Smith conspired together, and with others, to conduct financial transactions involving the proceeds of their crime that were designed to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source or ownership of the proceeds. The indictment alleges the following:

they stored and concealed drug proceeds,
caused cash to be transported as payment for drugs,
disposed of proceeds derived from the distribution and sale of narcotics by purchasing assets to conceal and disguise the nature and source of the proceeds,
structured deposits of U.S. currency, and
used a business front to create the appearance of a legitimate of source of funds to hide the true nature and source of the funds.

A federal indictment is an accusation by a grand jury; a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. If convicted, however, the conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana count carries a statutory sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in federal prison and a $5 million fine. The conspiracy to commit money laundering count, upon conviction, carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine.

In addition, the indictment includes a forfeiture allegation, which would require convicted defendants to forfeit the proceeds of their criminal activity. It would also require some of the defendants, upon conviction, to forfeit numerous vehicles, including a Mercedes, a Porsche and a Bentley, as well as numerous pieces of real estate.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Phelesa Guy, Northern District of Texas, is in charge of the prosecution.

New York Native Sentenced for Drug Trafficking Ring, Surrenders Private Jet

January 15, 2013blogarrest, drug ring, drug trade, drug trafficking, guilty plea, HSI, ICE, marijuanaAlex Meyerovich

A New York man was sentenced Tuesday, January 8, 2013, to 31 months in federal prison on conspiracy charges related to the distribution and possession of marijuana. The sentence is the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The court also required John Bokun, who was sentenced Tuesday, January 8, 2013, to surrender his Dassault-Breguet Falcon 10 jet aircraft and $7,101. Bokun pleaded guilty May 11, 2012, to the charges.

According to court documents, HSI special agents tracked Bokun traveling on his private jet from California to Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, N.Y. HSI special agents observed the aircraft Dec. 15, 2011, landing on Long Island and taxing towards an area dedicated to servicing private planes.

Once the aircraft arrived, HSI special agents observed Bokun, the plane’s pilot, and another man exit the jet to an awaiting U-Haul truck. HSI special agents, with assistance from the New York State Police, stopped the truck.

After obtaining a search warrant, HSI special agents discovered ten black containers carrying 112.4 kilograms of marijuana. HSI special agents then arrested Bokun and a co-conspirator.

The prosecution of this case was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Canadian Helicopter Pilot Sentenced for Drug Smuggling Operation

November 15, 2012blogarrest, British Columbia, Canada, CBP, criminal alien, DEA, drug smuggling, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, Integrated Border Enforcement Team, marijuana, Operation Frozen TImber, Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceAlex Meyerovich

One of the Canadian masterminds behind a massive northern border drug smuggling operation was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Wednesday, November 7, 2012, for conspiracy to import marijuana.

Henry Rosenau, 61, of Armstrong, British Columbia, was indicted in 2006 following a cross-border investigation dubbed “Operation Frozen Timber” led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Rosenau’s sentence comes following his July guilty plea, which pre-empted a re-trial and ended a protracted legal battle to derail the U.S. prosecution that included extradition challenges and frivolous lawsuits against witnesses, prosecutors and law enforcement.

“Operation Frozen Timber” led authorities to the Okanogan National Forest where undercover HSI special agents observed Rosenau and his co-conspirators smuggling B.C. Bud marijuana into the United States and cocaine into Canada using helicopters. The first of its kind investigation led HSI to develop new techniques to detect and suppress this type of border smuggling.

“The remote forest areas that concealed Rosenau’s and his co-conspirators’ smuggling operation also provided law enforcement with the perfect platform to observe their criminal activity,” said Brad Bench special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. “Rosenau was the air courier service to several transnational criminal organizations. While he was busy turning drug smuggling by helicopter into a growth industry, HSI and its border enforcement partners were building the case that dismantled his criminal enterprise and brought him to justice.”

In his plea agreement, Rosenau admitted that, between 2000 and 2005, he flew dozens of loads of marijuana into forested areas in western and eastern Washington, Idaho, and Montana. He also smuggled Canadians across the border into the U.S. to work as drug mules to transport their illicit cargo across the United States. Investigators say he ran his smuggling operation from his home-based heliport, landing as many as five helicopters in the front yard of his remote property in British Columbia.

Rosenau was first contacted by Canadian law enforcement in 2005 as he returned to Canada after delivering a load. In the helicopter’s cockpit, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police found a loaded handgun, night vision goggles, two satellite telephones and a GPS device that contained known landing sites used by marijuana traffickers.

Prosecutors asked for a sentence of more than 15 years. They portrayed Rosenau as a shrewd man who flouted the law and gamed the system for his personal benefit saying: “[Rosenau] skirts the law when he believes doing so will benefit him, who prevaricates when asked what he did and why, and who believes dealing with governments (from pilot and aircraft regulations to police investigations to court matters) is some sort of a game. […] With some shrewdness, the defendant dealt well in the world of drug smugglers. He flew for some of the bigger and well-known drug traffickers…”

More than 40 defendants were indicted in connection with Operation Frozen Timber. During the course of the operation, U.S. and Canadian enforcement teams intercepted more than 17 drug loads, including more than 5,000 pounds of B.C. Bud and one shipment in February 2005 involving five suitcases packed with 169 kilograms of cocaine.

Operation Frozen Timber was conducted under the auspices of the Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET), a multi-agency law enforcement team comprised of representatives from Canadian and U.S. law enforcement agencies. Members of the IBET work together with local, state and provincial enforcement agencies to target cross-border criminal activity, including investigations involving national security and organized crime. Additional assistance was provided by U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington prosecuted the case.

Mexican National Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Bond Jumping

November 12, 2012blogarrest, bond jumping, criminal alien, deportation, detention, DHS, drug trafficking, fugitive, HIDTA, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, marijuana, Mexico, removal, USMSAlex Meyerovich

A Mexican national was sentenced Monday, November 5, 2012, to six years and three months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, and for bond jumping (failure to appear as required), announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

Juan Ramon Garza, a 40-year-old resident alien of Brownsville appeared before U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen who sentenced him Nov. 5 to 63 months in federal prison for the drug conviction, and 60 months for bond jumping. Judge Hanen also ordered that 12 months of the 60-month term be served consecutively to the 63-month sentence. The judge’s orders dictate that Garza must serve 75 months in federal prison.

According to court documents, Garza pleaded guilty June 26 to the drug charges. The government’s evidence indicated that on Oct. 22, 2009, special agents assigned to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) conducted surveillance at a residence on the 400 block of Naranjal in Brownsville. The special agents received consent to search the residence. During their search, they discovered large black trash bags that contained bundles of marijuana totaling 125.25 kilograms (276 pounds). When Garza returned home, he admitted he was to be paid money for storing the marijuana in the garage.

On Nov. 4, 2009, Garza was released on a $100,000 bond with a $3,000 deposit. However, on Jan. 5, 2010, Garza failed to appear for court and a warrant was issued. He remained a fugitive until he was arrested by the U.S. Marshal Service (USMS) April 3, 2012.

This case was investigated by officers with HIDTA, HSI and USMS.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena Llanos-Salinas, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.

Texas Men Charged with Marijuana Distribution Ring

November 2, 2012blogarrest, charges, conspiracy, criminal alien, drug ring, drug trade, drug trafficking, ERO, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, illegal immigration, marijuanaAlex Meyerovich

Four Texas men are in federal custody following their arrest by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). They are charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 36.5 kilograms of marijuana.

Javier Ruiz-Guzman, 45, Isaias Duran-Duran, 35, Jose Jesus Descarena-Duran, 40, and Andres Duran-Duran, 45 – all Fort Worth residents – made their initial appearances in federal court the week ending in Friday, October 26, 2012, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton. They were scheduled to appear again Tuesday, October 30, 2012, for detention and preliminary hearings. This announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

According to the complaint, on Oct. 24, ERO officers visited a residence on East Biddison Street in Fort Worth to serve an administrative arrest warrant on Ruiz-Guzman. Ruiz-Guzman was targeted for since he was a criminal alien illegally present in the United States. When Ruiz answered the knock at the door, the officer observed a handgun in plain sight within Ruiz’s reach and secured it. Ruiz’s wife advised there were other firearms in the residence. She led the officer to the master bedroom where there was a pistol on the vanity and a rifle between the bedframe and wall. Ruiz advised that marijuana was stored in a detached shed on the property and provided the officers a key. A large black bag containing about 36.5 kilograms of marijuana, wrapped in cellophane bricks, was found in the shed.

Ruiz later advised officers that Isaias Duran-Duran had contacted him the previous day and asked him to keep the marijuana overnight. Ruiz agreed and expected a $1,000 payment to keep it. He acknowledged that he had done this before. He advised officers that “Isaias” was supposed to call him that morning to arrange to pick up the marijuana. At 8:31 a.m., Ruiz received a call from “Isaias” who advised that he was on his way and that his brother would also be coming. Shortly thereafter, Isaias Duran-Duran arrived. Ten minutes later, Jose Jesus Descarena-Duran and Adres Duran-Duran arrived in a Toyota truck. A subsequent search of that truck revealed $24,000 in cash, wrapped in bundles, located under the driver’s side door.

A federal criminal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offense charged, and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The U.S. Attorney’s office has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment. The maximum penalty for the charged offense is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Indictment for Mexican Cartel Mastermind Behind Extensive Drug Tunnels

October 8, 2012blogborder, CBP, DEA, DHS, drug cartel, Drug Enforcement Administration, drug smuggling, drug trafficking, drug tunnel, extradition, HSI, ICE, indictment, marijuana, Mexico, San Diego Tunnel Task ForceAlex Meyerovich

A probe by the multi-agency San Diego Tunnel Task Force has resulted in the indictment of a high-ranking operative for Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel accused of masterminding two massive cross-border drug tunnels discovered along the U.S.-Mexico border in November 2010 and November 2011.

Jose Sanchez Villalobos, aka Quirino, 49, is charged in a 13-count federal indictment, handed down in February and unsealed Wednesday, October 3, 2012, with building, financing and operating two illicit underground passageways. Investigators say Sanchez Villalobos oversaw the shipment of large quantities of marijuana into the Tijuana area and arranged to have it smuggled through the sophisticated tunnels he controlled. U.S. authorities have asked Mexicoto extradite him.

“This investigation clearly underscores our resolve to track down those responsible for constructing and financing the sophisticated tunnels we’re increasingly seeing along the San Diego-Tijuana border,” said Derek Benner, special agent in charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego. “I commend the collaborative work by agents on the San Diego Tunnel Task Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their perseverance and hard work that resulted in this significant indictment.”

The indictment charges Sanchez Villalobos with nine counts of conspiracy to distribute and import marijuana and four counts of building, financing and using the tunnels. All but one of the counts in the indictment carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

According to the indictment, Sanchez Villalobos built, financed and operated a 612-yard cross-border drug tunnel discovered Thanksgiving Day 2010. The tunnel, equipped with rail tracks, connected a warehouse in San Diego’s Otay Mesa industrial park with one in neighboring Tijuana, Mexico. On the Mexican side, the tunnel’s entrance was accessed through a hydraulically-controlled steel door and an elevator concealed beneath the warehouse floor. The ensuing investigation by federal agents resulted in the seizure of more than 22 tons of marijuana.

The indictment further accuses Sanchez Villalobos of building, financing and operating a second major tunnel discovered by the San Diego Tunnel Task Force Nov. 29, 2011, in the same industrial park. That tunnel, which ran for 600 yards under the U.S.-Mexico border, resulted in the seizure of 32 tons of marijuana, including 26 tons recovered on the U.S. side – one of the largest marijuana seizures in U.S. history.

The San Diego Tunnel Task Force is comprised of federal agents from HSI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol. To date, more than 150 tunnels have been discovered on the California-Mexico border, more than half of which were discovered in the last four years.

Drug Smuggling Airline Employee Sentenced After Two-Year Investigation

October 5, 2012blogAirport Investigations Group, arrest, Bermuda, Bermuda Police Service, CBP, conspiracy, DEA, Drug Enforcement Administration, drug smuggling, drug trade, HSI, ICE, investigation, marijuana, narcotics, Philadelphia International Airport, sentencing, terrorism, US AirwaysAlex Meyerovich

Nearly two years from October 2, 2012, Philadelphia International Airport came to a grinding halt as a security incident was discovered on a Bermuda-bound US Airways aircraft. This security incident turned out to be a drug smuggling operation discovered by an astute airline employee, and investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

It was later discovered that Brian Wade used his position as a baggage handler at the airport to smuggle drugs on US Airways flights to Bermuda for more than 10 years.

Spotted by a US Airways employee Oct. 7, 2010, Wade, wearing his work uniform and off duty at the time, was observed placing items in the baggage hold of US Airways flight 1070. The incident garnered immediate live national media coverage that afternoon. As the incident was being investigated for possible ties to terrorism, HSI special agents assigned to the airport determined it was tied to an elaborate narcotics smuggling scheme between Philadelphia and Bermuda.

Wade was arrested and later pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute a total of 3,022 grams of marijuana. This was related to his efforts to send marijuana to Bermuda by hiding it in commercial aircraft. On October 2, 2012, Wade was sentenced in federal court to 36 months of probation and a $1,000 fine.

“This investigation disrupted and dismantled an internal conspiracy that was going on for years at the Philadelphia International Airport,” said John Kelleghan, special agent in charge of HSI Philadelphia. “Keeping the flying public safe by stopping the flow of dangerous drugs, and bringing individuals engaged in international drug trafficking to justice is a high HSI priority.”

But that wasn’t the end of the investigation. What began in October 2010 continued for more than a year following Wade’s arrest when HSI’s Philadelphia Airport Investigations Group – working with an undercover agent posing as an associate of the corrupt airline worker – received 421 grams of heroin from a target of the HSI investigation. As part of the investigation, the heroin was replaced with “sham” narcotics and placed in a package that was sent to Bermuda concealed aboard a commercial aircraft.

HSI special agents determined that Wade had received the narcotics from unknown individuals who traveled to Philadelphia from New York on behalf of their conspirators in Bermuda. Wade received payment from his counterparts at the airport in Bermuda, who would place cash on the flight destined for Philadelphia. Once the aircraft arrived in Philadelphia, Wade would take the cash off in the same manner he smuggled the narcotics to Bermuda.

On June 1, 2011, HSI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bermuda Police Service (BPS) successfully dismantled this organization that was using Philadelphia International Airport to smuggle narcotics. Working around the clock, law enforcement officials identified corrupt airport and airline employees in the U.S. and Bermuda who utilized their positions to circumvent airport security and federal inspection procedures.

The resulting investigation led to the arrests in Bermuda of Lorenzo Lottimore, David Carroll and Lauren Marshall, current and former L.H. Wade International Airport employees. Another individual, Damian Hatherly, was also arrested. All four were charged with importation of narcotics. The drugs have a street value in Bermuda of almost $1 million. Subsequently, $90,000 in suspected drug proceeds was seized from a bank account utilized by Carroll.

On Sept. 10, 2012, just before the trial was due to start, Carroll pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import controlled narcotics, specifically cannabis and heroin, and agreed to forfeit $70,000 in Bermuda currency. Additionally, authorities in Bermuda dropped prosecution against Marshall.

On Sept. 25, 2012, a Bermuda Supreme Court jury convicted Lottimore and Hatherly of one count each of conspiracy to import controlled drugs. They both face a minimum of 12 years in prison.

HSI special agents noted that US Airways officials cooperated fully throughout the entire investigation.

Dozens of Drug-Trafficking Gang Members Arrested and Face Federal Charges

October 4, 2012blogarrest, charges, Chicago, cocaine, CPD, criminal complaint, DEA, drug distribution, drug trade, drug trafficking, FBI, heroin, HSI, ICE, indictment, marijuanaAlex Meyerovich

Two leaders of separate but sometimes collaborating drug-trafficking organizations were arrested and are among 39 defendants facing federal drug charges, federal and local law enforcement officials announced Friday, September 28, 2012.

The charges stem from an investigation led jointly by the following agencies: FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Chicago Police Department.

Agents executed three federal search warrants Thursday, September 27, 2012 at the same time they began arresting defendants in the Chicago area, Indiana, Texas and California. Agents seized about 2.5 kilograms (about 5.5 pounds) of cocaine, more than $175,000 in cash, and several firearms. The two alleged leaders, Jesus Ramirez-Padilla, 39, and Humberto Jimenez, 26, were among 27 defendants arrested. The whereabouts of four others were accounted for, and eight remain fugitives. Previously, during the one-year investigation that began in July 2011, agents had seized more than 13 kilograms of cocaine, 10 kilograms of marijuana, 1.5 kilograms of heroin, and about $75,000 in cash.

All 39 defendants were charged with various drug distribution offenses in a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, September 26, 2012, in the Northern District of Illinois and unsealed Sept. 27 following the arrests. The defendants who were arrested began appearing Thursday, September 27, 2012, before Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez in U.S. District Court; they remain in federal custody pending detention hearings scheduled for next week.

The operation of Thursday, September 27, 2012, brings to nearly 100 the number of defendants who have been arrested and charged in Chicago with federal or state drug trafficking offenses in the last three weeks.

Gary S. Shapiro, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, praised the dedication and teamwork of the FBI, DEA, and HSI agents who worked diligently with the Chicago Police Department to disrupt these alleged drug-trafficking organizations. Shapiro announced the charges with the following: William C. Monroe, acting special agent-in-charge of the FBI in Chicago; Jack Riley, special agent-in-charge of DEA in Chicago; Gary Hartwig, special agent-in-charge of HSI Chicago; and Garry F. McCarthy, superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

The following agencies also participated: U.S.Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff’s Police, and the Illinoispolice departments of Berwynand Oak Lawn. The investigation was conducted under the umbrella of the U.S. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

According to the complaint affidavit, the investigation determined that Ramirez-Padilla and Jimenez, both of Chicago, each led their own drug trafficking organization. Both organizations regularly bought and sold multi-kilogram quantities of powder cocaine on Chicago’s southwest side. Each organization had its own wholesale distributors, drug couriers, stash houses, workers and suppliers. Although the Ramirez and Jimenez organizations operated independently, they sometimes supplied each other with kilograms of powder cocaine. Both organizations took steps to protect themselves from detection by law enforcement, such as: using code words to disguise references to narcotics and other items, regularly replacing telephones, using different vehicles to transport drugs, and engaging in counter-surveillance techniques.

The 205-page affidavit details conversations among various defendants who were intercepted on 26 different telephones during the investigation pursuant to court-authorized electronic surveillance.

Sixteen defendants, who were charged in two separate conspiracies to possess and distribute cocaine and/or heroin, face a mandatory minimum of 10 years to a maximum of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. The remaining defendants face maximum sentences of up to 20 or 40 years in prison, and maximum fines of $2 million or $5 million.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathalina Hudson, Joseph Thompson, and John Kness Northern District of Illinois, are prosecuting this case.

The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Jamaican National Arrested for Illegal Immigration, Drug Trafficking

July 11, 2012blogarrest, criminal alien, drug trade, drug trafficking, HSI, ICE, illegal firearm, illegal immigrant, illegal immigration, illegal reentry, Jamaica, marijuana, NYPD, USMSAlex Meyerovich

Dean Myrie, aka Journey, 39, a Jamaican national, was arrested July 3, 2012, by the New York Police Department (NYPD)/U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Task Force, after the U.S. Marshals Service received a tip from someone who saw a June 29 episode of “America’s Most Wanted” featuring Myrie. Dean Myrie, who was in the United States illegally, was residing in an apartment in New York City. The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the Baltimore County Police Department and Anne Arundel County Police.

“I want to thank “America’s Most Wanted” and our law enforcement partners in New York for their assistance in apprehending this fugitive who is alleged to be a part of a marijuana distribution organization involved in violent crime that spans four states and Jamaica,” said William Winter, special agent in charge for HSI Baltimore. “This Homeland Security Investigations-led investigation was greatly enhanced by the assistance and the expertise of the Baltimore County Police Department’s Homicide Division who uncovered and solved the murder of a member of the Brown criminal organization. HSI will continue working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and, ultimately, dismantle criminal organizations that are wreaking violence in our communities through the illicit drug trade.”

Myrie was indicted along with five others in connection with a conspiracy to distribute marijuana as part of the Brown organization, a criminal organization whose members allegedly engaged in narcotics distribution primarily in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Arizona, and Jamaica. The third superseding indictment was returned Oct. 25, 2011, and unsealed Nov. 7, 2011. Also charged in the indictment are:

Jean Brown, 42, of Jamaica;
Hubert Downer, aka Doc and Michael Reid, 51, of Jamaica;
Dmytro Holovko, aka The Russian, 53, of Hillside, N.J.;
Jason Carnegie, aka Dollar, Dollar Bill, and Dalski, 41, of Lauderhill, Fla. and
Anthony Hendrickson, 71, of Gardena, Calif.

The seven-count indictment alleges that from at least 2000 to the present, the defendants were part of the Brown drug organization and conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. Further, the indictment alleges that in December 2009, Brown, Downer and Myrie kidnapped and murdered Michael Knight to further the Brown organization’s drug business. Downer is also charged with firearms violations and with illegally re-entering the United States, having previously been deported after a felony conviction.

The defendants face a maximum of life in prison for the drug conspiracy. Brown, Downer and Myrie face a maximum of life in prison for kidnapping in aid of racketeering and the death penalty for murder in aid of racketeering. Brown and Downer face a maximum of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder in aid or racketeering. Finally, Downer faces a maximum of 10 years in prison each for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, and 20 years in prison for illegal re-entry to the United States.

Myrie had his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in New York July 5 and will be transported to Baltimore in the next few weeks. Brown, Downer and Holovko are scheduled for trial Oct. 15. Hendrickson is scheduled for trial Feb. 4, 2013, and Carnegie previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and is awaiting sentencing.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stefan D. Cassella and Peter M. Nothstein of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

9 Men Caught Growing Pot in National Forest

October 25, 2011blogFederal indictment, HSI, ICE, marijuana, National Forest, potAlex Meyerovich

Nine central California men have been charged in an eight-count federal indictment handed down October 20, 2011 for their role in a large-scale illegal pot growing operation in the Sequoia National Forest. This information was uncovered during a multi-agency probe involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to court documents, the marijuana cultivation site was located in the Sentinel Peak area of the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County. During the investigation, law enforcement agents seized some 16,000 marijuana plants, more than 850 pounds of processed marijuana, and three firearms, including an assault rifle. Native vegetation was cut to make room for the marijuana plants. Trash and fertilizer containers were scattered throughout the site and a nearby stream.

“The criminal groups involved in these illegal marijuana growing operations have repeatedly shown they have no qualms about using violence against those who get in their way, including unwitting members of the public who are using our state’s wilderness for recreation,” said Michael Toms, the resident agent in charge for ICE HSI in Bakersfield. “Public lands are there for everyone to enjoy, and we’re going to do whatever it takes in concert with our law enforcement partners to prevent harm to visitors and the environment.”

Among those indicted in the case are: Victor Alfonso Madrigal-Cardenas, 24; Jerman Madrigal, 19; Carlos Mendez-Sosa, 30; Juan Luis Quintero-Pimentel, 20; Gauvencio Madrigal-Chavez, 60; all of Delano, Calif. The remaining defendants, Ivan Carrillo, 29; Antonio Morales, 19; Javier Aranda-Barajas, 32; and Aurelio Anaya-Sanchez, 36; are residents of Lamont, Calif. The men are charged with conspiring to cultivate, distribute, and possess marijuana with intent to distribute it, cultivating and possessing marijuana with intent to distribute it, and damaging public lands and natural resources. Mendez-Sosa, Quintero-Pimentel, Aranda-Barajas, and Madrigal-Chavez are also charged with avoidance of examination by immigration officers and are subject to deportation if convicted of the charges. All nine defendants were detained pending trial. Their arraignment is set for October 21.

In addition to ICE HSI, the investigation involved the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Southern Tri-County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), the California Department of Justice Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP), the California Department of Fish and Game, and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

The drug charges all carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum term of life in prison and a $10 million fine. If convicted of damaging public land and natural resources, the defendants face a sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum sentence for the immigration offense is six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.