John Belanger of Hartford was on the track to either represent criminals or prosecute them, but one alleged major international pot smuggling operation could put an and to that and put him in the defendant’s seat.
Belanger, 27, who finished two years at UConn Law School, was indicted on June 10 in a bust called Operation Iron Curtain, an alleged international marijuana smuggling scheme that crossed borders, rivers and Native American reservations.
He is one of more than 45 people implicated in a smuggling operation that stretched from from Quebec to Florida to be arrested, Newsday reports.
They are accused of smuggling about $250 million worth of high-grade, hydroponic pot into the country each year, according to Newsday.
Officials say Belanger recruited, hired and coordinated a team that smuggled marijuana packed in heat-sealed bags inside large duffle bags across the border from Canada into the United States.
The meticulously planned operation employed "blocking" vehicles as lookout for cops to tip off the people carrying the drugs, according to a news release from the United States Department of Justice.
After investigating for two years, officials charged Belanger with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, conspiracy to import more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
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Students and recent graduates on the law school campus in Hartford were surprised. Belanger is currently enrolled at the law school, says Michael Kirk, a UConn spokesman.
“The university is aware of the situation and is taking it very seriously," Michael Kirk, UConn’s spokesman said.
UConn's Code of Student Conduct does allow for discipline of off-campus misconduct if it involves the illegal sale of drugs.
