Federal prosecutors say an Ansonia man and two others schemed to fly thousands of pounds of marijuana to the state over the past three years.
The feds say the plot came to an end last month when 38-year-old Scott “Pep” Bodnar and an alleged accomplice from Milford took delivery of more than 800 pounds of pot in a duffel bag during a sting in Derby.
The third suspect involved in the scheme was Donald Burns, 59, of Milford, according to a prepared statement from U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly.
On Wednesday a grand jury in New Haven charged Bodnar, Burns, and 31-year-old Milford resident Robert Capelli with one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana.
If convicted the charge carries a sentence of between 10 years and life behind bars.
According to prosecutors, the Federal Aviation Administration began investigating a single-engine plane owned by Burns in 2016 “that was making regular flights between Stratford, Connecticut, and northern California via the southwest United States.”
On June 28, 2017, federal prosecutors say Burns flew the plane from northern California to Lubbock, Texas.
The next day he flew from Texas to Arkansas, then to West Virginia, before landing at Sikorsky Airport in Stratford.
“A law enforcement search of the plane revealed approximately 400 kilograms of marijuana in vacuum-sealed packages contained in a duffle bag,” Daly said. “The investigation revealed that the marijuana was intended for Capelli and Bodnar. Later that day, agents conducted a controlled to delivery of the marijuana to Capelli and Bodnar at a location in Derby, where they were arrested.”
The feds weren’t specific about the Derby location where the drug delivery allegedly occurred.
An affidavit filed in the case by a federal DEA agent has been sealed by a judge.
Daly said that the three men have been moving marijuana from California to Connecticut for three years.
“It is alleged that from 2015 to June 2017, Capelli, Bodnar and Burns trafficked more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana from California to Connecticut,” Daly said.
That’s more than 2,000 pounds of pot.
The three men were also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana on board an aircraft registered in the U.S., and one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.
Bodnar was arraigned June 30 before Judge William Garfinkel, after which he was relased on a $250,000 nonsurety bond.
The judge ordered him to surrender his passport, not to leave the state without permission of federal probation officers, and to submit to electronic monitoring.
The Valley Indy left a message with Bodnar’s lawyer Wednesday.
