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Man sentenced to probation for pot bust
Published Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The last of three charged in connection to a marijuana bust with alleged ties to a local woman convicted in federal court for drug trafficking was sentenced to probation Monday in Mower County District Court.
Ryan Earnest Kelley, 20, received five years probation, a $500 fine and 40 hours of community work service for a fifth-degree drug conviction reached by plea agreement in March.
According to the criminal complaint, police learned of a package of marijuana en route to his 10th Street Southwest home through Clinton County, Ohio, authorities, who said it was addressed to a “Carolyn Cooper” in Austin.
Local police already had surveillance on the house to track suspected drug sales, and arranged to have the package, which contained 17.5 pounds of marijuana, brought to the home as part of an undercover operation.
An undercover officer delivered the drugs June 28 to the residence, where Nancy Roxana Rodriguez signed for it, the complaint states.
Rodriguez, 20, was later arrested in possession of the package in a Ford Explorer, the complaint said. She told police that she was asked by an El Mariachi coworker — “Suzanna Trejo” — to accept the package, though she was unaware of its contents. She also confirmed that Trejo, who allegedly told her that the box would be addressed to a “white woman,” lived in Mandolin Apartments, though couldn’t pinpoint an apartment number.
Susana Mota-Trejo was sentenced to 72 months June 11 for her role in a marijuana and cocaine trafficking operation involving boyfriend Vedran Pejic and three others. Pejic received 198 months June 4 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana.
The affidavit said authorities found 24 pounds of cocaine and $19,000 in cash from a Mandolin Apartments unit used by Pejic and Mota-Trejo. The investigation linked the pair, as well as Martin Jermaine Billue, Gene David Wear and Ricardo Saucedo Jr., to a total seizure of 46 pounds of cocaine.
In Rodriguez and Kelley’s home, authorities found 190 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, a scale and plastic baggies during a search warrant June 28. They also arrested 20-year-old Ryan Michael McAlister, who was later released of drug charges.
Rodriguez was sentenced to five years probation and a $500 fine June 5 for a fifth-degree drug conviction. She and Kelley received a stay of adjudication, which means they have been sentenced without being found guilty.
Comments
Posted by jsknow (anonymous) on July 3, 2008 at 2:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So now their lives have been ruined, they have criminal records that will follow them for life and hamper any efforts they may make to be productive citizens. Their identity has been plastered all over the media and what good has it done? If the government really wanted to reduce the use death and disease caused by drugs they'd treat use and addiction as a health problem. Drug prohibition has done nothing positive and has been going on for over 90 years. The crooks and the government agree on one thing, keep drugs illegal and keep the money coming to them, neither cares how much harm is done.
It's time to remove all the politicians that promote prohibition.
How many more lives have to be needlessly devastated or lost?
Prohibited drugs are way easier for kids to get than regulated drugs!
Prohibition never works it just causes crime and violence.
The year alcohol prohibition was repealed violent crime fell by 65 percent.
The USA spends $69 billion a year on the drug war, builds 900 new prison beds and hires 150 more correction officers every two weeks, arrests someone on a drug charge every 17 seconds, jails more people than any nation and has killed over 100,000 citizens in the drug war.
“Jury Nullification”, learn more here: http://fija.org If you are called for jury duty and you don’t agree with the law the person is charged with, you have the right to vote not guilty, no matter what evidence is produced. Jurors implementing this right in all non-violent drug cases will shut down the ridiculous laws of prohibition. One juror in each case is all it takes. The bottom line is a juror has the right to judge not only the accused person but the law the person is accused of breaking. Don’t be intimidated stick to your position.
There’s only been one drug success story in US history, tobacco, by far the most deadly and one of the most addictive drugs. Almost half the users quit because of regulation, accurate information and medical treatment. No one went to jail and no one got killed.
The right; to freedom of religion, free speech, a free press, to keep and bear arms, to be secure in your person, house, papers and effects against unreasonable search and seizure, to life, liberty and property, to be protected from having your property taken by the government without due process of law and without just compensation, to confront the witnesses against you, to be protected from excessive bail, excessive fines, cruel and unusual punishment, to vote and many others have been denied to millions of Americans in the name of the drug war.
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