Pubdate: Sat, 19 May 2001 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Copyright: 2001 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Contact: http://www.jsonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/265 Author: David Doege, of the Journal Sentinel staff CHICAGOAN LABELED AREA'S POT KINGPIN Man Is Held On Bail Set At Unprecedented $10 Million A man suspected of being the drug kingpin from Chicago behind the distribution of tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana a year in Milwaukee has been reeled in by investigators in what is shaping up as the biggest drug bust in the city in decades. Kenneth L. Green is jailed on what is thought to be an unprecedented bail locally - $10 million - in an unusual case resulting from a 15-month probe that parlayed dogged investigation, sophisticated surveillance and serendipity into the collapse of what authorities regard as a major Midwest marijuana ring. Although state wiretap laws could keep most of the case records secret for weeks to come, testimony and arguments in Milwaukee County Circuit Court along with information from sources familiar with the investigation indicate that Green was a shadowy, highly insulated drug kingpin based in Chicago who relied on lieutenants and occasional violence to keep his Milwaukee marijuana market humming. According to what authorities, documents and informants have said so far: Two middlemen-turned-informants played key roles in the case against Green, 37, having allegedly taken part in big buys at the direction of investigators. They also secretly recorded telephone conversations with Green and his lieutenants about drug trafficking, and some of the alleged transactions in which they were involved were videotaped. One of the confidential informants testified during a preliminary hearing last week that he had been distributing Green's marijuana in Milwaukee since the mid-1990s and estimated that by himself he "dumped" more than 31/2 tons of marijuana a year. "I'd get whatever I needed," the informant told Circuit Judge Richard J. Sankovitz of the marijuana deliveries he allegedly received from Green every few days. The man, 28, categorized small amounts as being 5 to 10 pounds and large amounts as being in the 75- to 80-pound range. Occasionally, he said, he would receive a kilogram of cocaine for distribution. Authorities think Green's business also is linked to several city shootings, something typical in the large-scale marijuana trade. One of Green's alleged lieutenants, Rohan Mogg, "was shot by Jessy and one other person at the direction of Green," according to a passage of a criminal complaint that has become public. The person named Jessy was otherwise unidentified in the complaint. And, after agents once seized a 240-pound, $175,000 marijuana cache for which Mogg was believed responsible, according to testimony and court records, an angry Green ordered a meeting in Milwaukee. Authorities, fearing for Mogg's welfare while the investigation was continuing, attached a satellite tracking system to a car he used to keep tabs on him. Green has been charged with conspiracy to deliver marijuana, conspiracy to deliver cocaine and failure to purchase controlled substance tax stamps. After he was arrested in Chicago on April 27 and whisked to Milwaukee, his bail was not only set at $10 million but a condition was attached to it requiring that if it is posted, a hearing must be held on the money's origin before he can be released. Charged as alleged distributors in the conspiracy are Mogg, 26, of Milwaukee; Clifton Williams, 27, of West Allis; Kenneth F. DuPree, 41, of Milwaukee; Daniel Ellis, 40, formerly of Milwaukee and now serving a 54-month drug trafficking term at Fox Lake Correctional Institution; and Edward Chen, whose age was not available, of Milwaukee. Five lesser figures also have been charged. The suspects were arrested over the past month, and, after making their initial court appearances, their case files and criminal complaints were ordered sealed under state wiretap laws. Under those laws, the evidence gleaned from wiretaps must remain confidential until the subjects of them have had time to challenge their lawfulness and the admissibility of resulting evidence in court proceedings. The sealed materials can be made public only by order of a judge after the challenges have been completed or waived. The lead prosecutor in the case, Assistant District Attorney John Chisholm, has said he is not at liberty to discuss the investigation. During a preliminary hearing for Green, Chisholm presented only a fraction of the evidence gathered by investigators thus far. The bulk of the testimony during Green's preliminary hearing came from the two confidential informants. The informant who said he had been distributing Green's marijuana since the mid-1990s testified that business became "real good" in 1996 and that sometimes when his supply dropped to 25 pounds or so, it was not enough for the demand. He alleged he always got his supply from others working for Green. The other informant, also 28, said he got his marijuana shipments from Ellis before he went to prison and then later from DuPree. The informant testified that he knew only that the marijuana shipments came at the direction of a person called "Minor." For several months during the probe, according to court records, investigators didn't know Green's identity and knew only that the middlemen in Milwaukee worked for a mysterious Chicagoan called Minor. In addition to the two informants turning on Green, DuPree and Williams allegedly provided accounts of their relationships with him and written summaries of their statements were provided to Sankovitz during the hearing. At least one other informant appears to have talked to investigators, and he is described in a document as "Kenneth Green's bodyguard." Lead investigator Timothy Gray, of the state Division of Narcotics Enforcement, testified about two instances during the investigation during which he had satellite-based tracking systems wired to vehicles used by the distributors. During one of the installations, on March 22, Gray discovered 240 pounds of marijuana in a target car. The pot was subsequently seized, but the car still carried a tracking device. Gray also told Sankovitz that last month authorities interdicted a 110-pound marijuana shipment on its way to Milwaukee. After the driver was taken into custody, investigators went through with the shipment and arrested Chen, who they alleged was the eventual recipient. Other testimony and evidence so far indicates that the drug ring has ties to Houston and Jamaica. The testimony did not include information about how investigators learned where to find Green. - --- MAP posted-by: Andrew