32 Arrested in Nationwide Marijuana Ring

In predawn raids in Los Angeles and Virginia, federal agents Thursday arrested 32 people in connection with an $11-million Jamaican-run drug ring that allegedly distributed more than 25,000 pounds of marijuana throughout the country.

Federal authorities said tons of marijuana were shipped from Los Angeles by express mail couriers to a number of East Coast cities including New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Some of the 43 suspects charged in the 180-page, 323-count indictment face life in prison if convicted.

The indictment describes a sophisticated drug organization that repeatedly shuttled drugs and money between the West and East coasts.

To avoid detection, the drugs at times were “wrapped in layers of plastic wrap, surrounded by white deodorizer powder, wrapped in newspapers, soaked in ammonia and further wrapped in package tape,” court documents said.

Although the leaders of the drug ring were from Jamaica, authorities said they did not believe the ring represented any attempt by Jamaicans to take over a marijuana trade that is largely controlled by Mexican and Colombian nationals. In fact, the drugs apparently originated in Mexico, one law enforcement source said.

The arrests capped a 2 1/2-year, multi-agency investigation involving the FBI, IRS, Secret Service, U.S. Customs Service, INS, Postal Service, U.S. attorney’s office and local law enforcement agencies in Virginia and Los Angeles. The probe originated in Virginia.

“This goes to show the level of cooperation between federal, state and local agencies and that we can come together to dismantle a drug conspiracy that was operating 3,000 miles apart,” said Special Agent John L. Hoos, a spokesman for the FBI.

During the raids in Los Angeles, authorities found a hand grenade while searching the residence of one suspect.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s bomb squad was called in to remove the grenade. At another location, one suspect initially barricaded himself inside his house before surrendering, authorities said.

Eleven other suspects were being sought, authorities said.

Among the charges the suspects face are conspiracy to distribute marijuana, operating a continuing criminal enterprise, money laundering and trafficking in cloned cellular telephones.