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09/02/2006
4 arrested in drug raid that nets nearly $1M in pot
Brandie Kessler , bkessler@pottsmerc.com

EXETER -- Federal agents seized 726 pounds of marijuana and arrested four people, including two illegal immigrants at a poultry processing plant.
Law enforcement sources said the marijuana has a street value of $750,000 to $1 million.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement released the names of the four people arrested Wednesday at the G and G Poultry Inc., 1100 East Lincoln Road, for charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Daisy Vargas and Joshua Quinones, both U.S. citizens, and Felix Lopez and Leodegario Jaimes, both Mexican citizens illegally in the United States, appeared before a federal magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and remain in custody, according to an agency news release.

ICE spokesman Dean Boyd said that while drug busts involving thousands of pounds of marijuana occur more commonly closer to the southern border of the U.S., busts like the one Wednesday are not as common.

"It’s a significant seizure of marijuana for that area and for that particular location," Boyd said.

As for the value of the marijuana, Boyd said it depends on where the marijuana was going to be sold. Marijuana sold on the streets of New York City sells for a very different price compared to marijuana sold on the streets of a smaller town in Pennsylvania, he said.

"It’s difficult to say (the value of the 726 pounds of marijuana) -- probably in excess of a million dollars."

Boyd said the investigation on the drug raid is ongoing and he could not comment on the intended destination of the marijuana that was seized or when the investigation began.

Boyd said that while the ongoing investigation is being handled by ICE, local officials, such as Exeter police, were essential to the successful arrest of the four individuals and the seizure of the marijuana Wednesday.

"Obviously, in these types of cases, the local and state assistance is critical," he said.





©The Mercury 2006