June 3, 2010
A Mattapan man was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail today after police found what appears to be a ton of marijuana in his Wilcock Street apartment yesterday, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.
Edgar Gonzalez, 39, was arraigned in Dorchester District Court. Even if he could make bail, he would be held in custody on behalf of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement - he holds a Dominican passport - the District Attorney's office says.
"This is the single largest seizure of marijuana in recent memory, DA Dan Conley said in a statement. "Detectives said they hadn't seen such a quantity in at least 20 years."
Gonzalez was charged with trafficking in 2,000 to 10,000 lbs of marijuana, which could land him in state prison for 15 years.
The DA's office says Gonzalez might have gone unnoticed had he stayed calm: Boston Police and state and federal officials were executing a search warrant at 32 Wilcock St. that had nothing to do with him, but when they noticed him running from the building, they figured a chat would be in order, so they ran after him. Also:" Boston Police observed the rear door to Gonzalez' apartment to be open. In light of the existing search warrant and Gonzalez' flight, Boston Police announced their office and conducted a protective sweep of that apartment."
Once inside, officers were hit by the strong odor of marijuana, which they noticed was coming from a giant pile of bundled green leafy material, the DA's office says. After police obtained a search warrant, they found, in addition to the pot, rolls of plastic shrink wrap, digital scales, and a vacuum sealer.