The Austin office of the U.S. Marshals Service last week announced the capture of fugitive Ricardo Jaimes, who was indicted in November by a federal grand jury in Michigan for his role in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy.
According to a federal indictment, Jaimes and his pals – Joseph Giganti, Ricky Chalfant, and Genaro “Biggie” Deanda – devised a scheme to send multiple 50-pound pot shipments from Texas to Western Michigan, via commercial carriers (think FedEx). Apparently things went swimmingly for a couple years – they’d send the pot to various residences, including unoccupied summer homes, and then arrange to pick up the goods at a later date; and apparently Deanda even set up his own shipping company, South Texas Shipping Express, in order to facilitate the operation – until the four were popped last year and indicted for trafficking in at least 100 kilos of marijuana. Jaimes fled, according to the Marshals Service, and wound up in Hays Co. He was picked up – “without incident” – by members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force who surrounded his car in the Cabela’s parking lot in Buda. (Now there’s a decidedly un-sexy place to get popped, eh?)
Naturally, the feds are seeking to seize a crapload of property – cars, motorcycles, etc. – and a payment of $1.5 million the boys allegedly made in pot profit. (In any other setting, a practice known as extortion.) Not such a good day for the Michigan Four, for sure, but at least the scenario provided LaFayette Collins, Marshal for Texas’ Western District, an opportunity to bandy about a bit of law enforcement humor: “We are more than happy to send Jaimes back to Michigan aboard our delivery service,” he said in a press statement. Bada-bing! Folks!
This article appears in February 29 • 2008.