Pubdate: Wed, 09 Aug 2006
Source: Tampa Tribune (FL)
Copyright: 2006 The Tribune Co.
Contact: http://www.tbo.com/news/opinion/submissionform.htm
Website: http://www.tampatrib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/446
Author: Elaine Silvestrini, The Tampa Tribune
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)

9 PLEAD GUILTY IN MARIJUANA RING IN UPSCALE NEIGHBORHOODS

TAMPA - 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.
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