TWO HOGANSBURG MEN ARRESTED ON MARIJUANA TRAFFICKING CHARGES

Two Hogansburg men were arrested February 1, 2018 on federal drug conspiracy charges alleging that they arranged to transport, store, and distribute hundreds of pounds of marijuana in Franklin, Onondaga and Oswego counties, according to the Department of Justice.

They, along with five other defendants, appeared the same day in United States District Court for the Northern District of New York in Syracuse. They are charged in two criminal complaints.

Chadwick Swamp, 48, and Winston Francis, 26, both of Hogansburg, are charged in a criminal complaint alleging a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms (approximately 220 pounds) or more of marijuana in Onondaga County from January 2017, through November 2017.

Also charged in the same complaint are William Sullivan, 38, of Jamesville;

Jamie Phillips, 35, of Syracuse; Alexander Elliott, a/k/a Alexander Camacho, 46, of Syracuse; and Alexander Steeprock, 21, of Syracuse. The complaint also charges Jamie Phillips with possessing a firearm after a previous conviction for a felony offense, according to DOJ.

The drug conspiracy charge carries a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of up to 40 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5 million and period of supervised release of at least four years and up to life. The charge of possessing a firearm after previously having been convicted of a felony offense against Jamie Phillips carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of up to three years, DOJ said.

Jason Altpeter, 35, of Fulton is charged in a separate criminal complaint alleging a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 kilograms (approximately 110 pounds) or more of marijuana in Oswego County from July 2017 through November 2017. This charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1 million dollars and period of supervised release of at least three years and up to life, DOJ said.

“A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. The charges in the complaints are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty,” reads a prepared statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.

This investigation was initiated by the Oswego County Drug Task Force, comprised of Special Agents of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), members of the City of Oswego Police Department, Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, Oswego County District Attorney’s Office investigators, the SUNY Oswego Police Department and U.S. Border Patrol agents. Additional agencies involved in the investigation include St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, Oneida Indian Nation Police Department, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), City of Syracuse Police Department, the New York State Police-CNET Central. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carla Freedman and Robert Levine, in coordination with the Oswego County District Attorney’s Office.