LEVI PULKKINEN
seattlepi.com
Kirkland man, 23 others accused in interstate drug ring..
A Kirkland man who purportedly ran a multimillion-dollar drug ring is behind bars following a federal investigation that has seen at least 23 others charged.
Federal prosecutors in Seattle contend Jacob Stuart, 39, headed the American side of a drug distribution network that moved 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of marijuana and 100 to 200 kilograms of cocaine each month.
According to recently unsealed court documents, Stuart and his associates flew the drugs around the country by private plane, were caught on tapped phones preparing for a kidnapping and worked with a Hells Angels associate to smuggle drugs to and from Canada.
Federal prosecutors contend marijuana was smuggled south hidden in manure trucks, then handed off to members of the organization for distribution around the country. Cocaine was flown or driven north from Southern California to Canada, an increasingly common cross-border drug trafficking practice.
Writing the court, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Backhus and Vincent Lombardi asserted Stuart and his associates delivered marijuana to California, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia and New Jersey, and returned cocaine to Washington in an effort to smuggle it into Canada.
“Stuart was the stateside leader of the drug organization, responsible for organizing the nationwide distribution of large amounts of cocaine and marijuana,” the prosecutors told the court. “He was intercepted discussing violent acts to be directed at various people who owed the organization money.”
So far, nearly $2 million has been seized from the accused, as well as 300 pounds of cocaine, according to charging documents. Agents also seized 1,500 pounds of cocaine on April 28 in a series of raids related to the investigation.
Canadian strip club owner implicated
In previously sealed statements filed with the U.S. District Court for Western Washington, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent based in Seattle said the investigation was launched in January 2010 following reports of a drug trafficking ring using private planes to move marijuana around the country.
Investigators obtained court permission to tap an unknown number of cellular phones and were eventually able to identify Stuart as the head of the organization, the special agent told the court.
“Jacob Stuart has been involved in drug trafficking for approximately 20 years,” said the ICE agent, who is assigned to the agency’s Homeland Security Investigations division. “Stuart lives well beyond his apparent means and has no legitimate source of employment.”
According to charging documents, the primary source of marijuana was a Surrey, B.C., strip club owner linked to a British Columbia chapter of the Hells Angels. Key to the organization’s efforts were five pilots now indicted alongside Stuart.
In court documents, the ICE agent described a July 24, 2010 incident at Thun Field in Puyallup during which agents watched as two of Stuart’s associates – pilot Michael Murphy and Richard “Slim” Lamar, described as Stuart’s “right-hand man” – loaded a multi-passenger Beech airplane with a half-dozen duffle bags packed with marijuana.
The plane then took off and its pilot, identified by prosecutors as Brandon Parker, entered a flight plan ending at Will County Airport outside of Chicago. Instead the plane diverted to a small Wyoming airport before landing in St. Louis.
At the St. Louis airport, Murphy arrived and transferred the marijuana into a rented van and left the airport. A courier was later arrested, apparently on a return trip, with more than $1 million in the car.
Suspect worried, 'not going to see my kids' again
According to charging documents, members of the organization used both pre-paid cell phones and encrypted Blackberry devices when discussing the drug trafficking. Intercepted communications showed Stuart and others exchanging coded messages, at least one of which was cracked by a Homeland Security officer.
Intercepted calls are alleged to show Stuart had moved into cocaine distribution.
In one intercepted call, Stuart explained to an associate they could make $500 per kilogram flying cocaine from Southern California to Bellingham, according to the search warrant affidavit.
Writing the court, the ICE agent said Stuart made it clear that flying this “other thing” was more dangerous than moving marijuana.
“That (expletive), that is what I am looking at, like not being able to see my kids ever again,” Stuart said, according to the search warrant affidavit.
Backhus and Lombardi described one instance when Stuart and another man – identified as Bothell mortgage banker Robert Wolverton – discussed shaking down an associate who’d gone missing with a substantial amount of money.
“The organization as a whole is prepared to use violence to further their activities,” the federal prosecutors told the court. “Stuart was intercepted in conversations with Wolverton discussing locating and harming an individual, whom they believed owed the organization money.
“Stuart refers in one call to having a crew who could collect the funds – from the context of the intercepted calls, by force. Stuart and Wolverton also discuss abducting a woman associated with this other individual, to force this person to pay the money he owed.”
Stuart purportedly hired a private detective to “triangulate” the cellular phone of a missing drug runner.
Bats and bear spray
In a March phone call, Stuart and Murphy appeared concerned about the turn the business had taken, according to court documents.
“I’ve had like four or five things, super bad, that have happened right now,” Stuart said, according to charging documents. “I’m gonna be straight up honest with you. I basically need you and (another man) to help me get out of it.
“I’m so over this and the whole (expletive) of it and I need to get these people taken care of and you guys are honestly my only way to do it.”
According to prosecutors, Murphy complained he was stuck in Chicago because of bad weather but insisted Stuart call him if other members of the organization were headed to his home in California.
“You got to tell me when these guys are coming down because even if I’m out of town on a mission … I’ll just jump on a commercial (flight) and come back because I don’t know if I want to expose ‘Betty.’”
“Betty” was identified by investigators as Michael Murphy’s wife Pamela, who has since been charged alongside her husband.
The following month, Lamar stopped at the Cabela’s sporting goods store in Olympia to buy weapons for the “boss man” of a group of Hells Angels headed south after 230 pounds of cocaine went missing in a drug deal facilitated by Stuart. In fact, law enforcement had seized the drugs from co-defendant Glen Stewart.
At one point Stuart and Lamar discussed obtaining guns or, if none were available, at least “some (baseball) bats and some bear spray.”
“I believe the reference to ‘boss man’ … was sending some possible members or associates of the Hells Angels who were requesting guns, bear spray, and bats,” the ICE agent told the court. “I also believe it is likely that they intended to use these implements on Glen Stewart who they believe ripped them.”
Lamar was seen buying three bats at a sporting goods store, and Stuart and Lamar made several calls seeking guns.
Not guilty pleas entered
In a search of Stuart’s home on April 28, agents seized a pistol, eight cellular phones and other items allegedly related to the drug ring. Similar searches elsewhere recovered more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana and large quantities of money.
So far, at least 24 people have been charged with drug crimes related to the purported drug ring.
Stuart and 22 others were indicted earlier this month on various drug-related offenses. Stuart and most others have pleaded not guilty; Stuart’s attorney did not return a request for comment.
If convicted as charged, prosecutors contend Stuart should face 30 years to life in federal prison and a minimum term of 10 years. He remains confined at the SeaTac Federal Detention Center.
Check the Seattle 911 crime blog for more Seattle crime news. Visit seattlepi.com's home page for more Seattle news.Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Indictment-Kirkland-man-used-manure-trucks-1389274.php#ixzz1N8ZhJWOx
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Indictment-Kirkland-man-used-manure-trucks-1389274.php#ixzz1N8ZN1iBU