FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
ROBERT ARTHUR DEBACKER PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula on November 28, 2007, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah C. Lynch, ROBERT ARTHUR DEBACKER, a 54-year-old resident of Spokane, Washington, pled guilty to conspiracy to export cocaine. Sentencing is set for March 14, 2008. He is currently released on special conditions.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On February 4, 2006, Terry Holt was stopped on I-90 in western Montana and agreed to allow a Montana Highway Patrol officer to search the vehicle, a GMC Yukon. The officer recovered approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine, as well as large quantities of ketamine and diazapam, in the vehicle. The vehicle was registered to DEBACKER with a Spokane, Washington address. Holt refused to cooperate and was eventually sentenced to over 10 years in prison.
In the meantime, the investigation continued and the government was able to obtain arrests and convictions of higher level members of the organization who did provide statements. Again both Holt and DEBACKER'S names were mentioned.
Other members of the conspiracy explained that Holt had been brought into the organization to move cocaine from the Mexican border through the United States in preparation for delivery to Canada, and to launder money through Las Vegas casinos when traveling the other direction. According to the other members of the conspiracy, Holt enlisted DEBACKER for assistance. In addition to registering the Yukon in his own name (it was purchased by the organization and intended to be outfitted with hidden compartments for smuggling) DEBACKER provided that assistance by allowing approximately 19 kilograms of cocaine to be stored at his residence on one occasion, and by assisting Holt with the money laundering, a process that involved taking the money in sums of less than $10,000 Canadian to various casinos to convert it to U.S. currency. The total amount DEBACKER and Holt laundered on that trip was approximately $190,000 Canadian, for which they received approximately $143,000 in U.S. currency. The value of the cocaine was approximately $12,000 Canadian per kilogram.
Eventually Holt agreed to cooperate rather than face additional charges. He confirmed what the others in the conspiracy had told law enforcement officers, and also provided additional details, including dates, hotels, and names. Using that additional information, agents were able to obtain hotel records from Las Vegas during the time Holt and DEBACKER were there. The records confirmed that DEBACKER had checked into a hotel there and stayed several days, just as Holt had described.
DEBACKER faces possible penalties of ? years in prison, a $? fine and ? years supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Van de Wetering prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Montana Highway Patrol.
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A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.
