Feds bust rings that trucked in marijuana to Queens
Three men were arrested in operation which shipped marijuana from West Coast
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Federal prosecutors have
charged three men for their
roles in a coast-to-coast
trafficking ring that smuggled
more than 50 tons of marijuana
to various businesses and
homes in Queens.
According to U.S. Attorney
Richard Donoghue, the
suspects — San Francisco’s
Kevin Lau, 34, and Kenneth
Tam, 35, and Las Vegas’ Jack
Thai, 39 — led an operation
that shipped more than 100,000
pounds of pot to the “World’s
Borough” from California
and Washington State
between February 2015 and
last December.
The cannabis was
concealed in shipping crates
shipped on tractor-trailers
that falsely claimed to contain
furniture, clothing and other
merchandise. Prosecutors said
the ring members shipped the
crates to commercial facilities
and residences in Queens for
sales, then smuggled the cash
in their luggage while flying
back to the West Coast.
Members of the Homeland
Security Investigations
(HSI) bureau uncovered the
ring through an extensive
investigation. Based on
the information gathered
during the probe, the
investigators determined
that the trio made more than
200 marijuana shipments of
marijuana, marijuana oil and
drug paraphernalia.
“Over the course of three
years, trucks were used to
move the product east, as far
as Queens, while the proceeds
were smuggled back to the
West Coast by plane,” HSI
Special Agent-in-Charge Angel
M. Melendez said on July 31.
“HSI’s Border Enforcement
Security Task Force followed
the money in this large-scale
drug distribution conspiracy,
which resulted in the three
arrests this morning. These
individuals will now make
that same trip, from West
Coast to East Coast, to
face prosecution.”
Prosecutors said that Thai
Photo via Getty Images
was picked up in Las Vegas on
July 24 and appeared in U.S.
District Court in Brooklyn on
July 31. He was released on
$50,000 bond.
Tam surrendered to
law enforcement agents on
Wednesday and was later
released on $500,000 bond
following arraignment.
Lau remains at large,
authorities noted.
Each of the three suspects
face up to 10 years to life in
federal prison if convicted.
“Today’s arrests end the
defendants’ scheme of shipping
marijuana by tractor-trailer
and grounds their use of
commercial airline flights to
transport illicit drug cash,”
Donoghue said.
Reach reporter Robert
Pozarycki by email at
rpozarycki@qns.com or by
phone at (718) 260-4549.
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