Six accused of cross- country pot shipments
By Eric Swedlund
arizona daily star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.14.2008
Federal authorities said Friday that they broke up a drug ring that distributed about 30 tons of marijuana from Tucson to the East Coast during the past seven years.
Five suspects were arrested Friday, and a warrant was issued for the arrest of a sixth, said Sandy Raynor, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona.
Walter K. Riedesel, 52; Michael W. Hamblen, 41; Julia A. Relford, 52; Ollie Shouse, 49; all of Tucson; and Ruben P. Contreras, 44, of Oro Valley are charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute. Guilio F. Esposito, a 29-year-old Tucson man believed to have fled the state, is wanted on the same charges.
A complaint filed in U.S. District Court says Riedesel admitted to federal agents that he was responsible for the transportation of roughly 25 to 30 tons of marijuana to East Coast cities since 2001. According to the complaint:
Drug Enforcement Administration agents began investigating the case in August 2006 after developing information about marijuana shipments being arranged from Tucson to the East Coast. DEA agents identified Riedesel as the Tucson subject and determined several seizures of marijuana in bulk dating to 2002 were associated with the group.
In July 2004, Hamblen was in a vehicle stopped by Columbus, Ohio, police, who seized $125,000. In March 2005, U.S. postal inspectors identified a package that contained nearly $48,000 and was sent to Riedesel's home.
In December 2007, DEA agents seized nearly $400,000 from a crate shipped by Riedesel from New York to Shouse in Tucson. In March, agents began surveillance on Riedesel, Shouse and others at a Tucson warehouse. A stop of a semi-truck seen leaving the warehouse found 749 pounds of marijuana, the complaint states.
Various other seizures and monitored wire transfers were linked to Riedesel, Shouse and Esposito, who was linked to the warehouse by rental documents, the complaint states.
In May, agents seized 750 pounds of marijuana in Lordsburg, N.M., linking the Riedesel group to the shipment and identifying the supplier as Contreras, who was following the load in a rental car.
On Thursday, agents obtained warrants and searched several properties, including the residence of Riedesel and Relford, where they found several small packages of crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Several drug ledgers were found in Shouse's vehicle, according to the complaint.
On Friday, agents made the five arrests and obtained the warrant for Esposito, who allegedly received $85 per pound for driving marijuana loads to the East Coast. He liquidated his assets and moved out of state to avoid capture, the complaint states.
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