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Former St. Regis chief accused of selling Ecstasy |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 08 November 2011 |
Former St. Regis chief accused of selling Ecstasy
By JOSH GORE
TIMES STAFF WRITER
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2011
A former chief of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe who was awaiting sentencing on federal drug charges was arrested Thursday in New York City for allegedly selling Ecstasy to an undercover agent.
According to documents filed in the Eastern District Court of New York, Philip H. Tarbell, 69, who identified himself as “Phil,” called an undercover agent who works for the Drug Enforcement Administration. He offered to sell the agent 1,800 Ecstasy pills valued at $10 a pill.
Court documents said the agent agreed to meet Mr. Tarbell at the Fairfield Inn near John F. Kennedy Airport. About 7:30 p.m., Mr. Tarbell called the agent and said he was at the arranged meeting place in a brown Buick.
Mr. Tarbell told the agent that on the next trip he could supply 3,000 to 4,000 pills, and the agent agreed but wanted to pay less than $10 per pill, documents said. Mr. Tarbell also suggested to the agent that he could supply him with 300 to 400 pounds of marijuana.
After this, the agent asked to see the pills and Mr. Tarbell said they were in heat-sealed plastic in a candy box. Mr. Tarbell instructed the agent to get the candy box out of his trunk, documents said.
Upon retrieving the box, the agent, who was wearing a body wire, gave an arrest signal to a nearby surveillance team. U.S. District Judge James Orenstein ordered Mr. Tarbell to be held without bail. If convicted, Mr. Tarbell could face more than 10 years imprisonment.
Mr. Tarbell’s attorney, Michael Rhodes-Devey, Albany, wrote a letter Monday to a federal judge in Binghamton asking him to delay his client’s Nov. 16 sentencing because Mr. Tarbell again was in federal custody.
Mr. Tarbell was indicted Nov. 17 by a federal grand jury on possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. According to the complaint, Mr. Tarbell was driving on Route 9 near the village of Schroon Lake when he approached a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint. Agents said Mr. Tarbell was acting suspicious and when given permission to search the vehicle, they found 43 kilograms of marijuana, documents said.
In May 1994, Mr. Tarbell was one of three people who held a banner on Route 37 in Hogansburg that said “Akwesasne Against Drugs.” http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20111108/NEWS05/711089941 |
