[OG Kush]

A year ago, authorities say, 11 people were growing marijuana inside upscale houses in some of the nicest neighborhoods in the Tampa Bay area.

Now, nine of them have pleaded guilty and are facing prison terms. All nine have agreed to testify for the prosecution when Herbert Ferrell Jr., accused of leading the ring, goes on trial next week. Another defendant, Giovanny Caballero, pleaded guilty but retracted his plea and will go on trial, too.

Five defendants - Rigoberto Same Jr., Yasmany Same, Rocco Sarley, Isleidy Morales and Jose Gonzalez - pleaded guilty Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Elizabeth Jenkins.

Jenkins almost refused to allow Morales and Gonzalez to plead guilty when both defendants equivocated.

Gonzalez, an electrician who admitted to wiring houses for marijuana growing, said through his attorney that he was "willfully blind" to the fact that marijuana was being farmed. That was not enough to justify a guilty plea, Jenkins said. After some hesitation, Gonzalez said he knew about the marijuana.

Morales initially said she was coerced by her former boyfriend, Rigo Same, to help harvest and package marijuana. Same, the father of Rigoberto Same Jr. and Yasmany Same, previously pleaded guilty.

But as Jenkins was about to end the hearing without allowing her guilty plea, Morales changed her story and said she harvested marijuana of her own free will.

In addition to Rigo Same and Caballero, three others have previously admitted guilt: Delvys Castellon, Mynor Bonilla and Jose Dias.

Authorities said the organization employed its own plumber, carpenter and Gonzalez as an electrician to "jump" its source of electric power to avoid detection and steal electricity. According to a Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit, the organization also included a Realtor, who helped find houses that met specifications.

As part of its investigation, the DEA supervised the operation of one indoor farm by a confidential informant in a four-bedroom, three- bathroom contemporary stucco house at 18970 Crooked Lane in Lutz, authorities said. The purpose of the house was to infiltrate the organization, officials said.

In September, Rigo Same and Diaz brought 119 marijuana plants to the house, and Diaz performed plumbing on the houses to prepare them for marijuana cultivation, according to court documents. At all the houses, Other conspirators rigged it so the electricity was stolen directly from a pole outside.

In October, conspirators brought cultivated marijuana from another grow house to the house on Crooked Lane to be harvested and cut. Rigo Same took about 5 pounds of the packaged marijuana from the house. Investigators later seized it during a motor vehicle stop, according to court papers.

Authorities estimated the annual revenue for 10 houses used by the ring at $3 million. The operators of the ring also used a 1962 Cessna 210B fixed-wing single-engine aircraft, according to court papers.

Ferrell invested money into grow houses and sought other investors, including Sarley, who has pleaded guilty, according to court papers.


Newshawk: SX420 - 420Girls.com
Source: 420Times.com
Pubdate: Wed, 09 Aug 2006
Author: Elaine Silvestrini,
Copyright: 2006 The Tribune Co.
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