From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
(Harford County, MD – April 2, 2010) The Harford County Task Force announced the conclusion of a six-month investigation after an indictment of the ringleader, Antonio Boston of Aberdeen, MD on Tuesday, March 30, 2010. The investigation that began in the summer of 2008 and lasted approximately 6 months led to the dismantling of interstate marijuana smuggling and distribution ring operating in Harford County, MD. Working with U.S. Customs, the Task force seized over 250 pounds of marijuana, several firearms, and property and cash in excess of $400.000.
The investigation determined that large quantities of marijuana originating in Mexico were smuggled across the border into Arizona. From there, the contraband was packaged in several different types of containers and shipped by commercial carriers to conspirators in Harford County, Maryland. Once received, the marijuana was broken down for distribution and sold throughout the region.
During the course of the investigation, twenty-three search and seizure warrants were executed producing approximately 250 pounds of marijuana, 20 live marijuana plants, 4 grams of cocaine, 30 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, nine handguns, five long guns, eight motor vehicles, a forklift, cash and two real properties which are pending forfeiture through the Federal Government. Those arrested or indicted include:
o Antonio Boston, age 51 of Aberdeen, MD – Ring Leader
o Thomas R. Cherry, age 52 of Havre de Grace, MD – Lead Player
o Rudy B. Ferguson, age 28 of Aberdeen, MD
o Aaron Rembold, age 38 of Aberdeen, MD
o Luis F. Velez, age 36 of Aberdeen, MD
o Thomas A. Mead, age 53 of Columbia-Howard Co. MD
o William E. Kohl, Jr. age 48 of Laurel- Howard Co. MD
o Joseph W. Tebin, Sr. age 51 of Perryville-Cecil Co MD
o Rebecca L. Oals, age 53 of Colora-Cecil Co. MD
o Norman E. Oals, age 53 of Colora-Cecil Co., MD
o David R. Mumpower, age 55 of Havre de Grace, MD
o Larry A. Stansbury, age 33 of Edgewood, MD
“These players were not street level dealers, but wholesalers who were dealing in large quantities of marijuana straight from Mexico via Arizona to Harford County. While this has not eradicated drugs in Harford County, it has certainly put a dent in it,” stated Lieutenant Lee Dunbar of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and Harford County Task Force.
The Harford County Task Force, consisting of Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, Harford County States Attorney’s Office, Aberdeen Police Department, and Havre de Grace Police Department was formed to focus on the larger and more complex narcotic and vice investigations that take place throughout the county. This task force conducts criminal investigations, targets high-level drug traffickers, importers, and money laundering organizations. With the help of both concerned citizens and narcotic users, the Harford County Task force attempts to seek out and limit the illegal flow of narcotics in Harford County MD.
“Since its inception in 1988, the Harford County Task Force has been instrumental in combating narcotics violations in Harford County. The task force concept of collaborating with municipal, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies is extremely vital to successfully identifying, investigating and apprehending narcotics distributors,” stated Harford County Sheriff L. Jesse Bane. Not restricted to county boundaries, the Harford County Task Force along with the aid and assistance of Local, County, State and Federal authorities investigate all leads of narcotic activity wherever the direction points. The Harford County Task Force relies heavily on concerned citizens and all members of the community, to supply them with the necessary information to control illegal activity. Anyone with this type of information is encouraged to contact the Harford County Task Force Tip line 410-836-7788 or submit a tip on the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Web Site – www.harfordsheriff.org.
Way to go Smitty! I knew you’d do something up there!
Yet crack and heroin are prevalent as ever. Good job Harford in keeping those ever dangerous pot heads under control.
this event occured two years ago with little media coverage. interesting that six months prior to an upcoming election the sheriffs office is making press releases about events that occurred two years ago. the initial release both in press and on the radio gives the impression the event occurred this year. way to go!
Good catch, I was actually reading this as though it happened this past weekend or something.
Umm, doesn’t it say the arrest was March 30th? Isn’t that recent?
Lazy Man says:
April 6, 2010 at 12:14 pm
No March 30th was the indictment which is completely different than an arrest date.
Is Larry Stansbury of the same illustrious Stansbury crime family from Edgewood? (check out http://www.daggerpress.com/2010/01/14/shooting-on-starr-street-in-edgewood-md/) I’ve heard others mention them as a problem…hard to believe just one family gets so many plugs on here.
There are several families full of habitual criminals in Harford County. I know at one point there were 3 or 4 people from one family in the DC at the same time (possibly more if you start counting cousins with different last names) and a father and son from a different family.
I’m not going to list any names because I don’t want any non-criminals who are unfortunate enough to be a part of those families (or even ones who just happen to share the same last name, but aren’t related) to be unfairly associated with them, but I can easily come up with at least 10 different families without even thinking about it.
Read Genesis 1:30, And tell me you are greater, more powerful, or have the right to deny, judge, steal, prejudice, waste tax payers money, and cause men to have felonies to ruin there FAMILIES and lives as sworn by an oath containing the Constitution that was written on HEMP! You will be judged later and found guily by God of selfish ignorance! I pray God has mercy on you all! Very sad and immature!
C Minister: What are you talking about?
I *think* he’s trying to say that it’s God’s will that we all smoke illegal substances like marijuana, but I’m not sure. Whatever he’s talking about, he sounds like a crackpot to me.
What he is trying to say is that it is hypocritical to make something illegal that the US constituion was printed on. He is saying that the police and judges that bring great peril on people who use a plant that god made for this world, will be judged one day by a greater source than Thomas Carr or Old Man Marshall. By the way, there is strong evidence that the founding fathers of this country who orchestrated the beliefs of liberty and freedom in this country, actually used marijuana for recreational use. Think before you post next time, PIG!
No March 30th was the indictment which is completely different than an arrest date.
What was that all about!
He was supposed to REPLY to 3.2 “Kim McCarthy says:
April 6, 2010 at 10:58 am
Umm, doesn’t it say the arrest was March 30th? Isn’t that recent?”
Fail
I love how people are anti pot yet don’t realize that if it was legalized Countrywide we would no longer have to continue destroying trees, relying on foreign oil and we would be able to revitalize our industry instead of having to import everything we use. I don’t even care if they keep cannabis illegal, just allow our country to grow industrial hemp again. Howabout instead of blindly following the ‘anti drug’ movement you focus on the drugs that drive others to rob cheat and kill others for their next fix.
By the way, drug dealers WANT DRUGS TO CONTINUE BEING ILLEGAL. If they really want to stop the violent crimes that stem from drug cartels and the like, then legalization would utterly destroy their business.
Instead of arresting normal everydat people for drugs when they have hurt no one but themselves and locking them away with violent offenders we should arrest the people committing the real crimes.
If you want to do drugs, fine… but if you can’t control yourself and break the law you should be judged accordingly.
True, Marijuana should be legal but it’s not. Whiskey and wine are worse than pot as far as I am concerned.