Opinion ID: 2746597
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The ATF Investigation

Text: 2009 found the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) looking to smoke out drug dealers on Boston's North Shore. Our story begins with an individual identified only as Paul. Paul found himself in hot water after the ATF discovered he had illegally procured a gun for an individual we'll call Smith,1 a known criminal in the North Shore town of Lynn, Massachusetts. When confronted with the evidence against him, Paul agreed to work with the ATF in order to avoid prosecution. Ultimately, the ATF had Paul buy $40 of cocaine from Smith. The ATF went up the chain, so to speak, and let Smith know they had him on drug distribution. Like Paul before him, Smith agreed to become an informant and cooperate in the ATF's investigation. Ultimately, Smith worked with the ATF for about a year and helped out with over a dozen investigations. Over the course of the year, the ATF paid him in excess of $4100 for his assistance, $400 of which was attributable to his work enabling this particular prosecution. Making use of Smith's knowledge, ATF Special Agent John Mercer (Mercer) identified several additional targets in the area. Among them were Andre Jean-Francois, known as Black, and 1 Smith is an alias. We have changed his name in light of concerns about the safety of cooperating witnesses raised by the Committee on Court Administration and Case Management of the Judicial Conference of the United States. -3- Etienne, who went by the nickname Smoke, and Smith described them as drug dealers from whom the ATF could buy crack. Mercer had him set up controlled buys to catch them in the act. Each transaction (there were two) began with Smith calling Jean-Francois to negotiate the deal, after which Jean-Francois arranged for Smith to make the physical purchase from Etienne. Although the deals were recorded through the use of a body wire, the government did not introduce any video or photographic evidence depicting the deals as they went down. The first deal took place on July 22, 2009. On Mercer's instructions, Smith had called Jean-Francois the previous day looking to buy half an ounce of crack, and the two agreed on a price of $600. On July 22, Smith met with Mercer and other law enforcement agents before getting back in touch with Jean-Francois. With the agents listening in and recording the conversation, Smith called Jean-Francois to hammer out the details, and they agreed to meet at a house where Smith's young son lived in Lynn. Before leaving for the rendezvous, Smith donned a body wire and law enforcement officers gave him $600 to pay for the drugs. Smith then went to his son's house to wait for Jean-Francois. Shortly after Smith got to the house, Jean-Francois called him back to say that plans had changed. Smith would now be buying the drugs from Etienne instead, and Smith was to go to Etienne's home, which was also in Lynn. Jean-Francois told him the -4- price had gone up too, and was now $650. Mercer authorized Smith to use $50 from his own pocket to cover the difference. After hearing from Jean-Francois, Smith called Etienne to confirm the new plan. Etienne confirmed they would make the exchange at his house on Hollingsworth Street, and Smith headed over. Massachusetts State Trooper James Bruce (Bruce)--who was conducting surveillance and listening to Smith's body wire as a part of the ATF's investigation--observed Smith arrive at Etienne's house. Bruce observed Smith speak briefly with Etienne on the porch before both men headed inside. Once inside, Smith and Etienne spoke for a few minutes about Smith's car and young son (who was sick with cancer), and Etienne's daughter, who Etienne had custody of because her mother was in jail. Etienne also asked Smith whether Smith was still selling marijuana, to which Smith replied that he only sold crack now. While inside, Smith gave Etienne the $650 and in return received a plastic bag containing what Smith believed to be half an ounce of crack. After a few minutes, Bruce observed Smith emerge from Etienne's house, get in his vehicle, and drive up the street Mercer intercepted Smith at the end of the street and followed him back to a prearranged meeting location. When they arrived at the spot, Smith handed a plastic baggie over to law enforcement agents. The -5- parties stipulated that the plastic bag contained 15.25 grams of crack. The second transaction happened on July 30, 2009. This time, Mercer instructed Smith to call Jean-Francois to ask about buying a whole ounce of crack. Smith did so, and Jean-Francois agreed to make the sale for $1300. Once again, Smith met with law enforcement agents before the buy. While in their presence, Smith placed three recorded calls to Jean-Francois to further discuss the terms of the deal, ultimately confirming he would buy one ounce of crack for $1300. As before, the plan was for Smith to physically get the drugs from Etienne, although this time Jean-Francois wanted Smith to first visit him at his auto-detailing shop in Salem, Massachusetts. Law enforcement agents equipped Smith with a body wire and gave him $1300 to close the deal before sending him out. Smith went to see Jean-Francois at his shop, where they smoked weed together and talked about the impending crack deal. They also got into some of their past history and discussed a debt Smith still owed Jean-Francois. The debt dated back to a time (before Smith became an informant) when Jean-Francois front[ed] him some crack but, unfortunately for both, Smith ended up getting locked up and was unable to pay for it. After leaving Jean-Francois's shop, Smith called Etienne to say he was on the way. At first, Etienne said he wasn't ready -6- for Smith because he hadn't gotten the drugs yet, but called Smith right back and told him to come on over. When Smith entered Etienne's house, Bruce was again listening to the body wire and watching from a distance. Etienne asked Smith how much he had with him, and Smith responded thirteen. Smith gave the $1300 to Etienne, and received back a regular sandwich baggie containing an ounce of crack. As before, Smith traveled to a prearranged meeting location (again under the watchful eyes of law enforcement) where he turned the plastic bag over to law enforcement agents. The parties stipulated that this bag contained 27.82 grams of crack.