An Irvington man was convicted today for his role in a drug ring that conspired to ship more than 500 pounds of marijuana from Arizona to Fairfield via UPS and FedEx
An Irvington man was convicted today for his role in a marijuana distribution ring. TRENTON — An Irvington man was convicted today for his role in a drug ring that conspired to ship more than 500 pounds of marijuana from Arizona to Fairfield via UPS and FedEx so it could be sold on the East Coast, the state Attorney General’s Office said.
An Essex County jury found Roy Winston Harte, 52, guilty on three counts of distribution of marijuana, two counts of possession with intent to distribute, one count of conspiracy and one count of distribution within 1,000 feet of a school, the office said in a news release. He faces a maximum 20 years in state prison.
Harte and four cohorts from Arizona, Florida and New York were indicted in 2010 on charges they conspired to ship 513 pounds of marijuana to a business in Fairfield, where Harte worked as a production manager. His co-defendants pleaded guilty in September, the release said.
"The suspects may have thought the distance between them would provide some concealment of their illegal activities," State Police Supt. Rick Fuentes said in a statement. "We sent a message today, if you attempt to bring drugs into New Jersey from anywhere, we will come after you."
An investigation found that on June 27, 2007, Sharon Phillips, 35, of Maricopa City, Ariz. shipped four packages of marijuana at a UPS store, three of which were sent to Harte. About a week later, she attempted to send four more boxes containing 212 pounds of marijuana, but the boxes were seized.
On July 5, the three boxes Phillips shipped to Harte arrived and were loaded into a car owned by James McKoy, 50, of Brooklyn, N.Y. He was stopped by New Jersey State Police at the entrance to Route 46 in Fairfield and arrested. The boxes contained about 125 pounds of marijuana. Harte was arrested later that day at his home.
While the arrests were being made in New Jersey, authorities in Arizona seized 170 pounds of marijuana, packing material and a scale at Phillips’ home. Police arrested Phillips, Donald Giddings, aka Tyrone Johnson, 46, of Queens Village, N.Y. and Gary Brown, 37, of Fort Myers, Fla.
On July 6, four more packages were delivered to Harte’s address in Fairfield containing 176 pounds of marijuana and were seized by State Police troopers.