This the same case that involved the three Basciano son, where in the originally press release they said it was only "hundreds of pounds" that got shipped from california.
Crime boss’s sons busted in pot ring
By Rich Calder
September 19, 2013 | 1:59am
Modal Trigger
Joseph Basciano (right) and Vincent Basciano Jr. (middle) leave Manhattan Federal Court with their lawyer Murray Richman.
Photo: Gabriella Bass
This mob version of “My Three Sons” just went up in smoke.
All three of imprisoned-for-life Bonanno crime family boss Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano’s sons were busted by the feds Wednesday and charged with running a pot-dealing operation.
Joseph Basciano, 27, and brothers Vincent Jr. and Stephen pleaded not guilty before a Manhattan federal judge to running a mini-marijuana enterprise in which the feds say hundreds of pounds of pot from California was brought to New York for distribution between August 2009 and April 2013.
Vinny Jr. was released on $500,000 bail and Joseph on $250,000 bail, but Stephen remained in custody awaiting a bail hearing after prosecutors argued he has a long history of violence that includes being taped by a government witness bragging about having a gun with a silencer for years and having no problem “shooting people in the leg.”
However, Stephen Basciano’s lawyer, Matthew Mari, argued “there’s no guns involved in the case”or it would be in the indictment and asked the government to present the tapes before Magistrate Judge Henry Pitman decides on bail.
Papa Basciano is serving two life sentences for mob murders.
Joseph was scheduled to appear in Queens Supreme Court on Thursday for allegedly being part of a separate scheme to smuggle weed through the mail.
i think the bascianos got charged with 1000 pounds, also there were complaints about the quality of it on the wiretaps by another co conspirator.They moved about 2 pounds a week.
I think overall it was a big operation but not a major one. If you look at what the informant recorded with larca's end of the operation it said that he had access to two 500 pound shipments, they moved 100 pounds first then increased the load which tells me that they weren't neccesarrilly sure or capable of moving tonnes of the stuff, $3000 pounds is still a lot of weed but theres been groups moving much more than that in ny.
