Yuba County link in interstate drug trafficking
A Lake Wildwood couple are facing charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, allegedly part of a bust of an interstate drug trafficking organization that included a hangar at the Yuba County Airport.
The couple — Michael and Pamela Murphy — were led away in handcuffs last week by agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.
The Murphys moved into the house in the 13000 block of Lake Wildwood Drive in September, said one neighbor who declined to be identified. Michael Murphy was constantly flying — but was vague as to what he did for a living, neighbors said.
In fact — according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle by HSI Special Agent Andrea Lassiter against Pamela Murphy — Michael Murphy allegedly was using a plane he had in a hangar at Yuba County Airport in Olivehurst to transport marijuana from Canada to locations around the country.
The complaint alleged the Murphys are a part of a drug trafficking organization that also smuggled cocaine from Mexico into California; 15 other defendants have been arrested in the case.
The organization allegedly smuggled marijuana from Canada to Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Atlanta and Los Angeles, said the complaint. Members allegedly then used the proceeds to buy cocaine in Mexico and smuggle it back through the United States into Canada, according to the complaint.
A member of the trafficking organization was arrested in Iowa with approximately $1.1 million in cash and subsequently became an informant, the complaint said.
