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Jamaican sentenced for leading Mexico-US drug trafficking ring
CMC
Posted: 3/23/2009 10:58:53 AM
NEWARK, New Jersey – A Jamaican man has been sentenced to 49 months in federal prison for leading a marijuana trafficking and money laundering ring in the United States.
US District Judge Joseph E Irenas in Newark, New Jersey, has also ordered Richard Lawson, 42, who resided in San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico, to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
The prisoner must also cooperate with US immigration and customs officials to resolve his immigration status.
Federal authorities say the trafficking and money laundering ring originated in California and expanded into at least six other states.
The US agencies said a two-year, “multi-jurisdictional investigation resulted in the guilty pleas” of Lawson and co- defendants Daniel Adams, Sr, 57, of San Diego, California; Daniel Adams, II, 25, of San Diego and son of Adams, Sr; and David John, 40, of Swedesboro, New Jersey.
Lawson, Adams, Sr, and Adams, II, were arrested by Special Agents with Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on a 14-count indictment, which was returned under seal on April 22, 2008, at separate locations on April 22, June 24 and April 29, respectively.
At his plea hearing, Lawson admitted that, beginning in 2004 and continuing until April 2008, he was the leader of a group running a marijuana trafficking and money laundering ring that was responsible for purchasing large quantities of marijuana from Mexican suppliers and then redistributed the marijuana from San Diego to at least six other states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida, Ohio and Tennessee, the DEA and US Attorney’s Office said.
“Lawson admitted he established sham or fake corporations to provide a legitimate appearance for the drug trafficking activities and the resulting flow of drug proceeds,” they said, stating that Lawson opened bank accounts to facilitate the deposit of payments for marijuana sales by those who purchased the drugs.
“Lawson admitted that he instructed the buyers to make deposits in amounts less than US$10,000 to avoid causing the banks to file currency transaction reports,” they added.
“Furthermore, Lawson admitted he instructed the buyers to make multiple cash deposits at different bank branches in amounts less than US$10,000 to avoid the reporting requirement”.
Once the money was deposited in the fraudulent accounts, the money was subsequently removed in California through structured cash withdrawals in amounts of less than US$10,000 and driven to Mexico to pay for the marijuana and to hide the proceeds from the government, they said.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/tools...bnm.asp?bn=649
CMC
Posted: 3/23/2009 10:58:53 AM
NEWARK, New Jersey – A Jamaican man has been sentenced to 49 months in federal prison for leading a marijuana trafficking and money laundering ring in the United States.
US District Judge Joseph E Irenas in Newark, New Jersey, has also ordered Richard Lawson, 42, who resided in San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico, to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
The prisoner must also cooperate with US immigration and customs officials to resolve his immigration status.
Federal authorities say the trafficking and money laundering ring originated in California and expanded into at least six other states.
The US agencies said a two-year, “multi-jurisdictional investigation resulted in the guilty pleas” of Lawson and co- defendants Daniel Adams, Sr, 57, of San Diego, California; Daniel Adams, II, 25, of San Diego and son of Adams, Sr; and David John, 40, of Swedesboro, New Jersey.
Lawson, Adams, Sr, and Adams, II, were arrested by Special Agents with Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on a 14-count indictment, which was returned under seal on April 22, 2008, at separate locations on April 22, June 24 and April 29, respectively.
At his plea hearing, Lawson admitted that, beginning in 2004 and continuing until April 2008, he was the leader of a group running a marijuana trafficking and money laundering ring that was responsible for purchasing large quantities of marijuana from Mexican suppliers and then redistributed the marijuana from San Diego to at least six other states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida, Ohio and Tennessee, the DEA and US Attorney’s Office said.
“Lawson admitted he established sham or fake corporations to provide a legitimate appearance for the drug trafficking activities and the resulting flow of drug proceeds,” they said, stating that Lawson opened bank accounts to facilitate the deposit of payments for marijuana sales by those who purchased the drugs.
“Lawson admitted that he instructed the buyers to make deposits in amounts less than US$10,000 to avoid causing the banks to file currency transaction reports,” they added.
“Furthermore, Lawson admitted he instructed the buyers to make multiple cash deposits at different bank branches in amounts less than US$10,000 to avoid the reporting requirement”.
Once the money was deposited in the fraudulent accounts, the money was subsequently removed in California through structured cash withdrawals in amounts of less than US$10,000 and driven to Mexico to pay for the marijuana and to hide the proceeds from the government, they said.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/tools...bnm.asp?bn=649
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