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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
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Man charged with encrypting Blackberries for drug ring [CA]
#9008835 - 09/30/08 03:24 PM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
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Man charged with encrypting Blackberries for drug ring September 30, 2008 - ocregister.com
SANTA ANA A Newport Beach man was among seven people arrested this morning on charges of involvement with a drug-trafficking ring that allegedly imported ecstasy and marijuana from – and sent cocaine to – Canada, federal prosecutors said.
Nathanael Garrard Lineham, 39, runs a Los Angeles company doing business under the name beStealth, prosecutors said. He used his position there allegedly to encrypt Blackberry mobile e-mail devices for use by participants in the drug-trafficking ring, prosecutors said.
Phone numbers listed on beStealth's Web site aren't in service.
All together, 18 people were charged in two separate indictments after a two-year investigation that prosecutors dubbed "Operation Candystore."
During the investigation, authorities seized money and narcotics, including a 60-kilogram shipment of cocaine and a 35-kilogram shipment of cocaine, prosecutors said.
Many of the defendants reside in Los Angeles County, while some live in Canada. The only other Orange County resident charged in the case was Fausto Villa Perez, 49, of Santa Ana, who was arrested this morning, prosecutors said.
Lineham is named in both indictments. In addition to allegedly encrypting Blackberries, he is accused of supervising the movement of drugs and money within the U.S.
Prosecutors allege that the ring was overseen in the U.S. by Jason I. Ming Wei, 30, a Canadian who lives in Temple City. Wei was arrested Sunday night at Los Angeles International Airport while preparing to board a flight to Canada. Wei made an initial court appearance Monday and was ordered held without bond, prosecutors said.
Also arrested Today were Jerry Fanyuan Lin, 32, of Temple City, who allegedly obtained narcotics from Wei and had his own distribution network; Michelle Enck, 39, of Santa Monica, who along with Lineham is charged in both indictments; Jose G. Garibay, 28, of La Puente, who allegedly supplied methamphetamine to another defendant; Ming Chien Hsieh, 24, of San Gabriel, who allegedly distributed narcotics for Lin; and Alexander Chiang Pou, 19, of Santa Barbara, a U.C. Santa Barbara student who allegedly was involved in a series of drug transactions with Lin.
Perez is accused of helping to distribute cocaine on behalf of Wei, prosecutors said.
Those arrested this morning are expected to make their initial court appearances this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, prosecutors said.
The other U.S. defendants are being sought by authorities. Prosecutors expect to file provisional warrants against the Canadian defendants in coming days.
If convicted of the charges in the indictments, most of the defendants would face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
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Ophanim
The Molecule'sSpirit



Registered: 10/01/07
Posts: 1,002
Last seen: 5 years, 10 months
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Re: Man charged with encrypting Blackberries for drug ring [CA] [Re: veggie]
#9011153 - 09/30/08 11:06 PM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
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Is encrypting common electronic devices illegal? Did he even know what they were going to be used for?
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SuperD
Cacti junky



Registered: 10/05/03
Posts: 6,648
Loc: The bridgesii bridge
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Re: Man charged with encrypting Blackberries for drug ring [CA] [Re: Ophanim]
#9012095 - 10/01/08 05:29 AM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
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I would suspect the answer to both questions is no, as he ran an established business complete with a business name. According to the news article, he had knowledge of what they were being used for. But who knows for sure? We can't believe everything we read in police reports.
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   D Manoa said: I need to stop spending all my money on plants and take up a cheaper hobby, like heroin. Looking for Rauhocereus riosaniensis seeds or live specimen(s), me if you have any for trade
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tickled_pink
Stranger
Registered: 10/02/08
Posts: 1
Last seen: 15 years, 4 months
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Re: Man charged with encrypting Blackberries for drug ring [CA] [Re: SuperD]
#9019794 - 10/02/08 06:41 PM (15 years, 4 months ago) |
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the answer to the latter is YES - he knew exactly what he was doing, he's been doing it for over 5 years, i know this sociopath well - far as i'm concerned he's a cancer
he started with quickstar and cheated people there, then he moved onto verb exchange and ripped off people there, all the while shoveling snow up his nose
he moved to the US because he's wanted in Canada for tax evasion
don't be fooled, it doesn't take much to start a company, business name and all - that doesn't make it legitimate
this guys's a long time "white collar" criminal and now a drug dealer to boot - good riddance! glad to see this cancer nipped
sadly his kids now have to live knowing just what a f*ck up their daddy was - not he gave much of a damn about them anyway, or his wife, afterall he had enough wh*res around to satisfy his needs
encrypting is only illegal when it's knowingly abetting criminal activity, so in this case, absolutely
~ peace out
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