(Cleveland) - Six people were indicted for their roles in a conspiracy to ship at a ton of marijuana to Ohio from Hawaii, California and Oregon, and then launder the drug profits, law enforcement officials said.
Named in the two-count indictment are: William B. Murphy, 37, of Kealakekua, Hawaii; Michael W. Spellman, 59, of Kealakekua, Hawaii; Peter Reichert, 30, of Lyndhurst; Dustin Robinson, of East Liverpool; Young Hee Park, of Broadview Heights, and So Young Park, of Kealakekua, Hawaii.
All the defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. Murphy, Spellman and the Parks are charged with conspiracy to launder money.
According to the indictment:
Murphy grew marijuana in Hawaii and procured marijuana in Hawaii, California and Oregon and had it shipped to people in Ohio.
Spellman packaged the marijuana inside five-pound foil coffee bags, which also contained loose coffee beans, and mailed them to various addresses in Northeast Ohio, including a location in Shaker Heights. Murphy paid Spellman $100 for each package he mailed.
Reichert received packages of marijuana in Northeast Ohio, including in Chester Township, mailed from Hawaii, California and Oregon, for further distribution. Robinson received packages of marijuana in Pennsylvania mailed from Hawaii and California.
Robinson also mailed bulk cash to Spellman from East Liverpool. Murphy and Spellman had drug profits mailed to them at several post office boxes in Hawaii and California.
Young Hee Park received cash payments in Ohio from various marijuana customers and then mailed the cash to Murphy in Hawaii. Park mailed the packages containing cash from 25 different post offices in Northeast Ohio to avoid suspicion.
Spellman opened a bank account at Fifth Third Bank in Mentor. He and Murphy directed people in Ohio to deposit cash into the account from at least 15 different bank branches, in order to avoid detection. They used a similar arrangement with accounts opened at PNC Bank.
Investigators say the defendants deposited at least $348,000 in cash into the accounts between 2014 and 2016. using the accounts to pay for living expenses and other purchases, including airline tickets from flights between Cleveland and Hawaii totaling $40,959; drones from Drones, Inc. totaling $13,062; a greenhouse in Hawaii for $10,632; a Honda ATV for $11,170, and other purchases.
Overall, Murphy, Spellman and the other conspirators are suspected of causing approximately 1,113 packages containing marijuana to be shipped to Northeast Ohio between 2014 and 2016.
Additionally, they may have caused approximately 965 packages containing bulk cash to be mailed from Ohio to Hawaii, California and Oregon.
“This group mailed thousands of pounds of marijuana to Greater Cleveland from the West Coast and then laundered nearly $350,000 in drug profits,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “The leaders of this conspiracy paid for a lavish lifestyle with drug money, but now it will cost them federal prison.”
“From coast to coast the IRS will take every step to ferret out those who attempt to launder the proceeds of illegal drug profits,” said Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “The laundering of illegal drug profits is as important and essential to drug traffickers as the very distribution of their illegal drugs. Without these ill-gotten gains, the traffickers could not finance their organizations.”
(Photos by Getty Images)
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