USVI-On-Line

Sometimes it's amazing that any thing ever gets done right:
http://www.stjohntradewindsnews.com/ind ... &Itemid=38

I don't see what the problem is. They've been released on bail. It's not like they have been released of the charges.

BRY1105 wrote:I don't see what the problem is. They've been released on bail. It's not like they have been released of the charges.

From the link:

With information from the wiretaps and informants, the FBI planned a sting operation for the morning of May 6. The bureau’s informant set up a deal with Ferguson to buy 300 kilograms of cocaine from a supposed Venezuelan dealer for $5,000 per kilo, who would give a 10 percent cut to the “boat man” who picked up the delivery, according to the report on stjohnsource.com.

After being approached by Ferguson, Potter allegedly agreed to the deal and got Skelton to join him to pick up the bale at certain coordinates about 10 miles south of Cruz Bay at 4 a.m. on May 6, according to the report.

Which is where the sting apparently fell apart. Although agents witnessed the suspects arriving at the planned drop site, the FBI’s plane — loaded with reams of paper disguised as bricks of cocaine wrapped in trash bags and burlap sacks — had trouble taking off and then dropped the drugs in the wrong location, according to the report on the St. John Source website.

Potter and Skelton never actually picked up the shipment and tried to flee, but were easily apprehended, according to the report.

Gotcha.
Sigh.......

They were Federal Agents not the VIPD.
I am not one to defend the VIPD in most cases, but in this case, they had nothing to do with it.

You're right, X, but when I saw that the feds dropped the dope in the wrong location it just seemed status quo for the way things go in the VI's.
Also 300 kilos @ $5000. per kilo is $1,500,000.00! That's a lot of dough. You could give Pat her asking price for Shipwreck with all that cheese!

JT wrote:Also 300 kilos @ $5000. per kilo is $1,500,000.00! That's a lot of dough. You could give Pat her asking price for Shipwreck with all that cheese!

Damn, I am in the wrong business!

Xislandgirl wrote:Damn, I am in the wrong business!

No doubt! With my luck, the Feds would drop the fake drugs right in my lap, though!

California Girl wrote:

Xislandgirl wrote:Damn, I am in the wrong business!

No doubt! With my luck, the Feds would drop the fake drugs right in my lap, though!

Screw the fake dope. Who ended up with the dough?[/b]

JT wrote:Screw the fake dope. Who ended up with the dough?[/b]

Hey, yeahhhh.... funny how stuff like that just sort of disappears out in the ocean, huh?

There is a real Keystone cops flavor to the operation. Months of surveillance culminating in comical blundering. They probably still have enough to make their case, but clearly they wanted to pull off this high drama operation. They may have been fantasizing that they were SEALS.

I couldn't figure out how it was all supposed to work from the info available online, most notably with the money. When was the money passing hands? If the seller had been legit, he certainly wouldn't have tossed hundreds of kilos out of the plane without already having the money. When was he supposed to get it? The buyers certainly would have known something was wrong if it had been proposed that they just go pick up the coke out in the ocean and pay later. I also didn't get the piece about the 10% cut for the boatman, since the boatmen seem to be the buyers themselves. Did these guys actually get together that kind of cash and where is it? It doesn't seem to be mentioned in the online reports.

It did hit me that these guys are doing pretty serious business. That's a lot of money and 300 kilos is a lot of coke to be dealing. Just that the feds would propose a deal of that size shows that these guys had already been doing serious business. They weren't in the business of just selling a few grams here and there. And depending where they were intending to transport it to, there's the possibility of huge profits.

And poor Low Key Bob got himself tangled up in it. The prevailing opinion seems to be that the feds wanted a reputable guy that they could scare into testifying, and federal charges are quite scary. He's been handled differently from the start. He my well get all charges dropped, but he may have to go into hiding afterwards.

There was a time, long ago, when drugs were just fun. Not for quite a while, though.

It is difficult to keep an open mind about these situations when getting information from the media and word of mouth from those close to the situation and others who heard from someone who heard something from someone who is close to someone who knows something. It is easy to assume what the federal agents did or did not have as evidence or what the accused must have been doing. But at least some of this seems to be circumstantial. I can certainly see conspiracy charges sticking. Lets hope that the feds did/do a good job and get some real bad guys off the streets. I hope that innocents or others do not get caught up in the net cast.