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February 26, 2009
Firefighter Accused of Role in Marijuana-Growing Ring
JOHN ELIGON
New York Times
A New York City firefighter has been arrested on charges that he was growing more than 100 pounds of marijuana in the basement of a home in Queens, according to court records.
The firefighter, Patrick Murray, 33, was arraigned Wednesday in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on charges of manufacturing and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, according to Robert Nardoza, a spokesman for the United States attorneys office for the Eastern District. Investigators said that Firefighter Murray belonged to a larger drug-trafficking ring.
Firefighter Murray did not enter a plea and was released on $250,000 bond, Mr. Nardoza said. If convicted, he faces 5 to 40 years in prison.
Firefighter Murray came under scrutiny during a broader investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
For about a year, the agency has been investigating a narcotics trafficking organization that grows marijuana in houses in Queens and sells it throughout the New York region, according to a complaint filed in court.
On Tuesday, the complaint said, federal investigators received a tip that Firefighter Murray was taking high-intensity discharge lights from so-called grow houses in Queens and loading them into a rented truck. The lights are used to grow marijuana indoors, the complaint said.
The tip led investigators to 88-23 237th Street, in Queens Village, the complaint said. There, they found Firefighter Murray sitting in a parked truck in the driveway, and he told investigators he was just making a U-turn, the complaint said.
Investigators searched the house and found a room in the basement with about 100 marijuana plants, the complaint said. The investigators recovered keys from Firefighter Murray that unlocked doors to the house and the room in the basement where the plants were found, the complaint said. It did not say who owned the house.
The agent investigating the house estimated the value of the marijuana found in the basement at $500,000.
Firefighter Murray, a five-year veteran of the department, has been suspended without pay, said James Long, a department spokesman. Firefighter Murray was based at Engine Company 292 in Woodside, Queens, Mr. Long said.
Firefighter Accused of Role in Marijuana-Growing Ring
JOHN ELIGON
New York Times
A New York City firefighter has been arrested on charges that he was growing more than 100 pounds of marijuana in the basement of a home in Queens, according to court records.
The firefighter, Patrick Murray, 33, was arraigned Wednesday in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on charges of manufacturing and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, according to Robert Nardoza, a spokesman for the United States attorneys office for the Eastern District. Investigators said that Firefighter Murray belonged to a larger drug-trafficking ring.
Firefighter Murray did not enter a plea and was released on $250,000 bond, Mr. Nardoza said. If convicted, he faces 5 to 40 years in prison.
Firefighter Murray came under scrutiny during a broader investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
For about a year, the agency has been investigating a narcotics trafficking organization that grows marijuana in houses in Queens and sells it throughout the New York region, according to a complaint filed in court.
On Tuesday, the complaint said, federal investigators received a tip that Firefighter Murray was taking high-intensity discharge lights from so-called grow houses in Queens and loading them into a rented truck. The lights are used to grow marijuana indoors, the complaint said.
The tip led investigators to 88-23 237th Street, in Queens Village, the complaint said. There, they found Firefighter Murray sitting in a parked truck in the driveway, and he told investigators he was just making a U-turn, the complaint said.
Investigators searched the house and found a room in the basement with about 100 marijuana plants, the complaint said. The investigators recovered keys from Firefighter Murray that unlocked doors to the house and the room in the basement where the plants were found, the complaint said. It did not say who owned the house.
The agent investigating the house estimated the value of the marijuana found in the basement at $500,000.
Firefighter Murray, a five-year veteran of the department, has been suspended without pay, said James Long, a department spokesman. Firefighter Murray was based at Engine Company 292 in Woodside, Queens, Mr. Long said.
