Epress.am News from Armenia
A fired Watertown police officer has been charged with giving information about an international drug investigation involving millions of dollars and several other Watertown men to the people being investigated, leading to them allegedly intimidating other law enforcement officers, reports the Newton TAB.
More than $2.7 million in drug proceeds in Newton and Bedford in October 2010 was seized during the course of the investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. After searching Watertown and Waltham residences on May 24, officials reportedly seized more than $700,000 in US currency, seven kilograms of gold bars, 80 pounds of marijuana, four weapons and several vehicles.
The police officer, Roberto Velasquez-Johnson, was charged with conspiring to defraud the government by impeding a drug investigation. He faces up to five years in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000 if convicted.
Ten other men were charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana in the course of the investigation including Watertown residents Safwan Madarati, 36; Vartan Soukiasian, 35; Karapet Dzhanikyan, 31; and Victor Loukas, 43.
“It is our belief that a majority if not all of this occurred after Velasquez-Johnson left his employment with the Watertown Police Department,” Police Chief Edward Deveau told the Watertown TAB. “I have no knowledge or information that there are any other Watertown officers, current or former, as part of this investigation.”
Velasquez-Johnson was arrested May 24 in Medford. Most of the other men were arrested in a drug sting in Waltham on April 20. According to the affidavit filed in the course of that investigation, ICE agents in Vermont began investigating a Canada-based drug trafficking organization, which was using warehouses in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other locations to offload and distribute large quantities of marijuana, according to the affidavit.
Wiretaps conducted by ICE and DEA agents revealed Madarati was involved in distributing marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, and Oxycodone in and around Watertown, according to Lavoie’s affidavit.
He, Soukiasian, Sarkissian, Johnson, and others who were not identified in the affidavit, distributed wholesale quantities of marijuana that Madarati received from an organization in Quebec, according to the affidavit.
In further wiretaps conducted Aug. 16 of last year through April 20 on cell phones, including calls and texts, belonging to Madarati, Soukiasian, and Idanjian, agents heard Madarati collecting drug money, according to the affidavit. The phone calls were in English, Arabic and Armenian.
On Oct. 27, 2010, State Police Sgt. Charles Kane and other troopers seized nearly $1.8 million in drug proceeds from Madarati and Soukiasan at Hanscom Airport in Bedford, the affidavit said.
Hagop Narkissian, 46, Weston; Antranic Idanjian, 45, Waltham; Robert Johnson, 21, Stoneham; Sanusie Mo Kabba, 26, Stoughton, Jefferey Spinks, 53, Boylston, Manuel Khandjian, 36, Los Angeles; Madarati, Soukiasian, Dzhanikyan, and Loukas are charged with conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, oxycodone and cocaine. If convicted, they could face life in prison followed by five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $4 million.
Other charges include conspiracy to collect debt by extortionate means, maintaining a place for drug purposes, conspiracy to defraud the United States, making a materially false statement, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.