From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
[May 22, 2013, Harford County, MD] — A 2-year undercover investigation by the Harford County Task Force, which culminated in 2012, disrupted a Maryland smuggling operation with ties to California, and as result stemmed the flow of large quantities of marijuana coming into Harford County. The investigation has resulted in 15 arrests, and includes but is not limited to the seizure of 140 pounds of marijuana, 20 guns and 14 vehicles and over $140,000 in cash.
In 2010 the Task Force received a tip that Dwight Narcis of Aberdeen, Maryland was distributing narcotics in Harford County. Then in early 2012, detectives received a tip that Reinaldo Rodriguez was also distributing drugs. Intelligence obtained by police linked the two suspects. Initial information received determined both men were multiple pound dealers with a distribution network both in and around Harford County. On several occasions undercover officers purchased marijuana from Narcis and Rodriguez. As a result of these purchases and subsequent investigation police developed sufficient probable cause to obtain a court ordered wiretap on telephones controlled by both suspects.
Information from these wiretaps then identified William Marshall Edwards of Joppa and Allen Fadiora of Nottingham both who were dealing multiple pounds of mid-grade marijuana in Baltimore, Harford, Frederick Counties and Baltimore City. Court ordered wiretaps were authorized for their phones as well which further led to identifying Goutumm Karapurkar of Middle River, Brian David Bell of Middle River, Bryan George Showalter of Bel Air, Maryland and Emeryville California, and William Riggin Russell 3rd of Emeryville, California who were found to be smuggling multiple pounds of high grade marijuana into Maryland from California. The investigation revealed Karapurkar, Bell and Russell would fly from BWI Airport to Oakland California to meet with Showalter who was originally from Bel Air. Showalter would make arrangements with marijuana distributors in California to purchase multiple pounds of high grade marijuana. The suspects would rent two cars driving each back to Maryland where they would sell their high grade marijuana in Harford and Baltimore Counties.
In early October 2012 Karapurkar, Bell, Showalter, and Russell were transporting marijuana from California and returning to Maryland when they were interdicted by members of the Task Force at Bell’s residence in Middle River and taken into custody without incident. Seized at the time of their arrest was approximately 57 pounds of marijuana located in multiple suitcases. As a result of this investigation detectives executed 28 search and seizure warrants arresting not only those listed above but seven additional suspects.
Sheriff Jesse Bane in congratulating the Task Force on a successful investigation said, “Drug operations know no boundaries”, adding, “Successful cases depend on good investigative work and strong law enforcement partnerships working together. The Task Force demonstrated these attributes and in doing so these detectives took down yet another drug organization working in Harford County”.
The Sheriff was also quick to recognize citizen involvement. “Drug investigations typically begin because someone has the wherewithal to make a call and give us a tip. “Not all tips work out and as frustrating as the wait is for our citizens [and the police] it may take months for that one tip to pay off. But in this case it did”, he said. A lone tip in 2010 and a second in 2012 linked two vital pieces of this investigation. “Cases like this demonstrate the power of citizen involvement and how one phone call can help to effectively dismantle a drug operation”, the Sheriff concluded.
Those arrested in this investigation are listed below. Several cases have been adjudicated while others are in various stages of prosecution. In addition to members of the Harford County Task Force, the DEA’s Oakland California Division, Baltimore County Police and Baltimore County’s Office of the State’s Attorney assisted in the investigation.
1. Terry Head, 33
1703 Melwood Court
Edgewood, Maryland 21040
CDS PWID / CDS Possession marijuana / Con – CDS Distribute other
2. Goutumm Jayant Karapurkar, 25
35 B Oak Grove Drive
Middle River, Maryland 21220
CDS PWID / CDS Import Into State / CDS Possession Marijuana
3. Brian David Bell, 26
35 B Oak Grove Drive
Middle River, Maryland 21220
CDS PWID / CDS Import Into State / CDS Possession Marijuana
4. Bryan George Showalter, 25
1503 Bentley Circle
Bel Air, Maryland 21015
And
845 West McArthur Blvd
Emeryville, CA 94608
CDS PWID / CDS Import Into State / CDS Possession Marijuana
5. William Riggin Russell 3rd, 26
845 West McArthur Blvd
Emeryville, CA 94608
CDS PWID / CDS Import Into State / CDS Possession Marijuana
6. Cody Adam McPherson, 21
1149 Charles View Way, Apt. C
Towson, Maryland 21204
CDS PWID / CDS Possession Marijuana
7. Allen Olaide Fadiora, 27
1 Canoga Place, Apt. 1C
Nottingham, Maryland 21236
CDS PWID / CDS Possession Marijuana
8. Kason Wise Allah Stephens, 35
6307 Fairdel Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21206
And
273 Woodbine St., Apt. 2
Brooklyn, NY 11221
CDS Dist – Other / CDS Dist/Dispense Large Amount / CDS PWID / CDS Poss Marijuana
9. James Edward Bryant Jr., 39
108 Edgewood Road, Apt. 3
Edgewood, Maryland 21040
CDS PWID / CDS Possession Marijuana / Con-CDS Dist Other
10. Frank Henry Buck, 36
5711 Allender Road
White Marsh, Maryland 21162
CDS PWID Narc / CDS Poss – Not marijuana / Firearm Possess with Felony Conviction / MULTIPLE OTHER FIREARMS CHARGES
11. William Marshall Edwards, 33
126 Doncaster Road
Joppa, Maryland 21085
CDS PWID / Con-CDS Dist Other / CDS Poss Marijuana / Firearm Drug Traffic Crime
12. Adrian Lamar Goodwin, 26
4845 Limestone Court
Aberdeen, Maryland 21001
CDS PWID Narc / CDS Poss Not marijuana / CDS PWID / Poss Marijuana / CDS Dist Firearm
13. Reinaldo Rodriguez Jr., 37
439 Kentmore Terrace
Abingdon, Maryland 21009
14. Dwight Narcis, b/m, 35
651 Possum Trot Way
Aberdeen, Maryland 21001
CDS PWID / CDS Poss marijuana / Con-CDS Dist Other
15. Anthony Rashaw Brooks, 33
421 Village Drive
Havre De Grace, Maryland 21078 CDS PWID / CDS Poss Marijuana
The Harford County Task Force is a highly trained, self-governing, multi-jurisdictional entity with a mission to investigate offenses in the areas of mid to upper level drug trafficking, homeland security, and vice while supporting and facilitating cooperation and coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement. The HCTF was formed in 1988 in order to better combat drug crimes by combining law enforcement assets and resources, and in an effort to erase jurisdictional boundaries that drug dealers and organizations do not have. Today the Task Force is comprised of members from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, Aberdeen Police Department, Bel Air Police Department, Havre de Grace Police Department, Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office, DEA and the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA.
I feel much safer now that you have taken marijuana off of the streets. I’ve heard through various government statistics and propaganda that individuals on marijuana are 243% more likely to murder someone and 724% more likely to use a sharp dorito as a deadly weapon.
I’ve heard also that they drive like maniacs into oncoming traffic. That statistic may have been alcohol though… Oh yes I’m quite sorry – yes alcohol results in 25% of traffic fatalities. My mistake.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Wake up.
Alcohol kills lots.
Marijuana kills some.
Legalize it. Tax it. Regulate it. Save Money. We can spend millions on undercover operations and the war on “drugs”, or we can tax it and end the violence in Mexico.
Wake up.
Here Here. I agree with you whole heartedly. Our country needs the revenue more than the cartels.
And the grand total of MJ stopped that day was equal to .0000001% of the total used in the US. Legalize it, take the illegal profit out of drugs and watch crime fall. Addiction is a mental health issue. Spend the useless “War on Drugs” money on that. Imagine how much we’d save if we got rid of the “War on you name it”…..
Legalize it mon .
Irie! Respect to you and your opinion mon!
P.S. What a HUGE waste of resources! (man hours, money, etc.) 🙁
And to this, we’re supposed to be proud…….
20 guns off the street. Awesome work!!
You mean “15 criminals”, right?
Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. People pull triggers – not guns.
Quit confusing the two.
Alright. Pandering to the lunatic fringe in the county. Let’s put it another way and see if you can wrap your tiny mind around it: Bad People Dealing Drugs with Guns are off the Street. Now go for that smug guns don’t kill, people kill thing again. Violence associated with the drug problem is the county is ridiculous… and using it as soap box for your pro gun stance is idiotic.
I don’t know, 20 guns in two years, I’m not that impressed with that as I am the $140,000 in cash. So did the county get the money or did it get put in the law library fund? Will the money be used to pay cops or are they already getting their cut as a sort of finders fee? Are the confiscated vehicles for sale? C’mon draw some revenue for the 2 years of wasted time screwing around with potheads.
Sigh…I’m not anti-gun. I was speaking of guns in relation to the fact that they were possessed by “alleged” drug dealers. I think we can all agree that these are not the type of people who should be in possession of firearms. They tend to use them for other than lawful purposes. Thats how my comment was intended. How about using some of that “common Cents” instead of reading into my comment. No one is confused but you.
What a massive waste of time. Marijuana is such a benign drug, easily grown….I’d have some in with the tomatoes plants if it wasn’t illegal. It is not a gateway drug, alcohol is much more harmful.
All my cop friends say they would much rather deal with someone that is high, versus drunk. Biggest thing is they don’t have to clean the pee and throw-up in the back of their car.
I’d really like to see this change in my lifetime. Everyone is on some kind of anti-depressant, or anti-anxiety drug….pot is the way to go…..
either way you look at it, those 4 from C. Milton Hilton probably were more honest than lots of others…they were successful at their ‘venture’…but the ‘law is the law’…and maybe one day it won’t be the law, and lots of folks in jails will be on the street….this was pot, not smack, not crack, not a lot of other stuff that makes people do violence on others….nope…they were selling ‘untaxed’ medicine for folks that use it to battle cancer and depression…and it didn’t come in a bottle from the pharmacy…
I agree that it should be legalized but I don’t think that will happen anytime soon. Too many politicians, cops, customs agents, etc., are getting big payoffs to look the other way, just like during the Prohibition days of the 1920’s; if it were legalized, all that cash flow would stop.
Same with this new push to lower BAC to .05 from .08 Too many people getting rich off minor infractions.
WooHoo! Get that pot off the streets! Or, if it was taxed and legal:
1) you wouldn’t have spent all that money on an investigation
2) you would actually (theoretically) have made a lot of money for a small buisness owner and the coffers.
3) they wouldn’t have needed all those guns
Don’t we have enough trouble caused by idiots getting drunk on alcohol? Now liberals want to increase the problem with another intoxicant. In states where marijuana is legal, traffic accidents have soared.
The biggest intoxicant is free speech. Think of how many millions of idiots we could shut up if it was illegal.
Just one more right you guys would like to take away. That is why I call you guys Nazi’s.
It was sarcasm.
Traffic accidents also increase in states where marijuana isn’t legal. Unless the accidents are actually shown to be marijuana related this is hardly evidence. Average temperatures have gone up in states where marijuana is legal. Using your logic this would mean that marijuana effects climate change as well.
When it comes to marijuana and health, there is literally zero evidence that shows marijuana causes death (or has ever caused a single death on this planet) and the only “conclusive” study showing increased health risks was long ago found to be severely flawed as well as unethical (the author suffocated test monkeys with marijuana smoke).
The fact is, marijuana is safer than both alcohol and tobacco and yet we equate it to legitimately harmful drugs like cocaine or heroine. The entire foundation of our marijuana prohibition laws are based on incorrect assumptions and flawed “scientific” studies.
Are you sure about your facts Dr.? Where did you get your stats?
No doubt they all had permits for those weapons.
Of course they did. No decent criminal wants to be caught with an unregistered gun! And they were decent…right?
I could start “cop” bashing, but it seems that enough others are on here taking care of that matter. The only thing I can say is this, If you have to wear a mask to conceal your identity while doing your job, then that job is more of a burden than its worth. As for that highly dangerous drug, Marijuana, seems to me that the government has finally recognized that there is a “Medical” use for wonder weed and that should have taken it off the CLASS 1 DEA Schedule, but it has not and that needs to change. Great job law enforcement, you stopped a crime, enjoy it while it lasts, it won’t go on forever.
spoken like a true criminal!! good job!!
Spoken like a true ass hole, GFY……
ha ha…!!!! and easily rattled!!
I’ve got your “Rattle”, right here.
I bet Soul Crusher …ahem….self medicates every day.
I bet John N. …ahem….self masturbates every day.
Nobody is bashing cops. We are bashing wasteful use of resources. Good that you picked up, more than likely, illegal weapons.
Just to make myself clear, if you were not bashing them, I would be, but you seem to have done a good enough job. You’re not as infuriating as I, but very refreshing to say the least. But still, if you don’t call what you’re doing cop bashing, then your not being realistic, you little satanic worshiping pole smoker.
WTF?!?
No satan worshipping for me. He is as real as God and jackalopes. As for smoking poles, me thinks thou doth protest too much…..
Pot is the drug of presidents. Legalization would only flood federal and state government coffers with untold useless funds for silly things like more middle eastern boondoggles. Smoking pot supposedly makes one mellow. America needs more ruthless go-getters-at-any-cost and less satisfied-with-life epicureans who are a real buzzkill.
I’m creating my flyer for next years job recruitment fair: Come work with me at the Harford County Sheriff’s office. How would you like to track, follow, investigate, and eventually apprehend some of the most dangerous people in the county for less than 1/3 of what those criminals are making annually? Not convinced yet, how about serving the public operating under rules set by the congress elected by that public that in turn do not support your efforts to enforce those rules? My personal opinion and the opinion of many law enforcement officers is that marijuana should be legalized, but the fact of the matter is that it is not and the reason its not is because our elected officials haven’t made it so. Just like you don’t have to support the war but you should support the soldiers, take your fight up with the legislative branch but in the mean time show some support for the people in the trenches. You’re average pot head is not a danger to society but many of the people listed on this indictment would have gotten into something else if marijuana were legal, the type of people that traffic on this level with the cash and weapons they had were set on a life of fast money through illegal means and we are better off not having them among us. Many officers endured a great deal of stress and personal sacrifice to enforce the rules that your government has asked them to enforce just to have the desk jockeys on here bad talk their efforts. Be a good citizen and understand the constitution/laws of the land and take your criticism where it belongs.
Ah, if only that were true. It is a known fact that the largest group lobbying against Marijuana reform in congress is the Law Enforcement Associations, tobacco and alcohol companies come in at second. In a recent SCOTUS case, Law Enforcement Associations practically begged the Court to not take away the use of “dog sniffs” on the homes of private citizens saying “You would be taking away an invaluable tool”. SCOTUS took the constitutionally correct path by banning the use of drug detecting dogs to establish probable cause on homes as it is an unconstitutional search. For over 30 years, Law Enforcement had the ability to basically violate the basis from which all their power is derived and the document they had sworn to uphold, the Constitution. You just think about all the citizens that were unsecure in their homes, the place that they are supposed to be secure and the damage that was illegally inflicted, under color of law, upon the citizens of these unconstitutional acts. That stress and personal sacrifice is a choice that each Law Enforcement Officer made when he took the job and signed up for the terrorist organizations also known as the Narcotics Task Forces. I have no sympathy for your argument, as you guys had no sympathy for the lives you violated and destroyed by illegal means, just because you can. I will also dispute your income figures because Task Force members get a “cut” of the proceeds, first shot at confiscated vehicles and dwellings and whatever else you guys can get your dirty little hands on, that is why so many cops desire to work on Task Forces. Keep on crying, “King of Common Sense”, you’re just breaking my heart.
soul child….stop doing illegal sh@# and you wont have to worry about law enforcement!! stop watching your “bad cop” movies and wake up! task force getting a “cut” from the illegal narcotics they seize?? lol!! u r either a juvenile who watches a lot of tv/a nutbag/ or your everyday drug dealer or addict?? and as for sympathy…no one on here has ANY sympathy for the people/thugs in the drug game!! and funny thing is….these guys “act” bad as they think they are when with their click….but by themselves….the biggest p@#$%@ on the street!! dude, go push your “ant-police” agenda somewhere else! task forces don’t just bust the college kid with a roach….they follow info and track people for months….id take your beef up with someone who cares!!
Yawn…………
Narcotics Task Force Agents get a cut of money recovered from their little cottage enterprises. They are Terrorists, that’s why they wear masks and deceive. There isn’t any reason to make it up, its just the way it is. As far as an Anti-Police Agenda, I don’t have any agenda other than informing the public of the risk that the wonderful Deputies of Harford County put our community through every day. How can you even try to defend the Law Enforcement of Harford County when it seems like every other week a new scandal erupts from the department. I can’t remember when I saw so many articles on the DAGGER covering Police being charged with so many crimes, right here in Harford County. I don’t need to defame the department, you guys are already doing that for me! But, I do reserve the right to inform the public of the wrongs being committed by Harford County Law Enforcement, The State’s Attorney Office and the Harford County Judiciary. You don’t like it, too bad, learn to love it, because all you have to do is read the DAGGER and my point is proven.
dude, I think you need to stop watching ‘Training Day’! lol!! balto city has approx. 3000 officers…bound to be some bad apples with that many. Harf county has largest sheriffs office in the state….again, there’s going to be some bad choices! police are human! but id bet if u ever get robbed/sodomized/raped/etc…you’ll be callen police! i’m not gonna waste much more time explainen it to you, being you seem to have chosen your way of thinking and path in life! you are job security for law enforcement!
Wow, Training Day was a Great Movie, haven’t seen it since watching AMC in the “R” dorm while the rest of the molesters were watching charmed on the other TV. If Harford County has the largest Sheriff’s Office in the State, then why does Bane say he needs more deputies? Police aren’t human, they are sub-humans that delight in the torture and despair they reap upon the community. Please remember, I am speaking of the Deputies of Harford County, not every department in Maryland. Now, I’ll take you bet that I’d call police if I were….ahem….raped or sodomized, because after my incarceration, I may like it! Bubba and I are very good friends now! Or maybe your remarks are just aimed at hurting my feelings, sob. You can tell by my remarks that I truly care about your feelings. And if I get robbed, I wouldn’t call you guys, I stand a better chance of recovering my losses on my own than involving a bunch of corrupt cops that will probably steal my money if they were to recover it in the first place. Now, you can’t explain anything to me because I speak the truth, not the Hogwash that comes out of your mouth Porky. You guys created me and now your gonna have to live with it. I didn’t choose a path, you lying little punks chose it for me. My way of thinking is echoed by each and every citizen in Harford County that you guys have wronged by lying about “FACTS” in the court record, having the State’s Attorney Office knowingly and willingly prosecute the lies and then finally the Honorable Judges convict on the lies. Don’t Forget, if you want to fight the charges, you can’t, because the corruption of the conviction factories is just too great to fight. Especially, if you have a winnable case, that’s when the Honorable Judge holds you without bail until you take the deal. That’s how it works in Harford County. Lastly, I’m not job security for Law Enforcement in Harford County, the law abiding citizens of Harford County are the job security, as Law Enforcement Officers in Harford County are just not capable of telling the “truth” and are more interested in winning whatever prize you guys are offering for the most arrests in whatever contest you guys are having at the moment. I do believe you guys are in the middle of one of your contests or “Initiatives” as you would call it, right now! Lets see what the Traffic Task Force’s stats are at the end of Memorial Day weekend. I’m sure the DAGGER will have an article on it, they just won’t proclaim who won the contest or what the prize is.
Read “3 Felonies a Day” if you want to know how close everyone is to being charged for a crime in out great country. Your dismissal of “quit doing illegal sh@#” is no differnt than people who say things like speed cameras are fine because I dont’s speed. Yes there are plenty of instances where good intent is just epic fail (PG Country speed cam, Balto City, etc., etc.) We incarcerate more than China, Iran, North Korea, you know those bastions of freedom and liberty we all strive to be like…Cops have a tough job, no argument from me but the ridiculousness of laws in this country has pretty much been able to turn anyone into a felon if the “state” decides to pursue you. Get a reckless driving charge (previously a fine, albeit a very large fine). Now, in many states its a go directly to jail, do not pass go offense (Virginia being one of many) Remeber that the next time you hit 85 on a 60 mph stretch and are keeping up with traffic and lose the ticket writing lotto. FWIW, never been arrested nor charged before I get another brainiac respone like my earlier one.
Ah lets not forget the absoulute worst idea ever, private prisons. Corrections Corp of America was of the largest signatories to block marijuana reformation laws in the country. Can’t put ourselves out of business now can we?
Nobody wants to buy your drugs around here Louie!
You are intertwining two arguments, IF you want us to find drugs THEN we ask that you allow us to use K9 scans. Every day the appellate court makes our jobs more difficult to accomplish but we are still asked to achieve the same level of proficiency and effectiveness. Also, It is impossible to search for something without ever looking in the wrong place because if you knew where drugs were 100% of the time then it wouldn’t be called a search. So if you don’t want anyone to be inconvenienced in our search, don’t want us to be able to use any tools to find them, and you aren’t satisfied when we do find them then PLEASE ask your representatives to stop asking us to find them. Also, when you say that law enforcement wants to continue the war on marijuana I would caution you against generalizing what elected sheriff’s, appointed commissioners, and their appointed command staff members lobby for because they are political figures and claiming that their views are shared by the officers. There are tens of thousands of officers that agree marijuana should be legalized but the voices you hear are the 5% that represent the police chief’s association. One example would be the police chief from Baltimore County speaking nationally in favor of strict gun laws, his views are not even close to being shared by his work force.
No one ever complained about Law Enforcement using dog sniffs on vehicles or in public places, just my F’ing home is off limits. Use your damn dogs for whatever, hell I’ll even donate the peanut butter, just keep his nose away from house and my person. I see no need to complain to my representative as SCOTUS has spoken. I pointed out that it was the Law Enforcement Associations that were the largest lobbyists, JACKASS, Stop changing what I write to fit what your depleted brain wants to comprehend. Your arguments are as twisted as your interpretation of the English Language, therefore I’m done. For now…..
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