Opinion ID: 310065
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Company

Text: 3 Direct evidence consisting of the testimony of guilty-pleading co-defendants and an unindicted co-conspirator established the existence of an extensive marijuana smuggling operation known to the participants as The Company. The central parties of this conspiracy were Dr. Willis B. Hollingsworth and members of the Estes family. 2 To assist in the importation and distribution of marijuana, The Company enlisted the assistance of additional parties including David Willingham, a licensed aircraft pilot, and Philip Homburg who served as sales agent for The Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. Between May and September 1971, The Company's aircraft made at least seven trips to northern Mexico and returned to the United States with substantial quantities of marijuana. The next-to-the-last of these trips occurred on September 10 when Willingham delivered 1,100 pounds of Mexican marijuana to Homburg in Indianapolis. The following day, after a stop-over in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to pick up William Estes and 5,000 dollars, Willingham flew back to Sabinas Hidalgo, Mexico, where the 5,000 dollars was used by Dr. Hollingsworth to purchase another shipment of 700 pounds. A few hours later Hollingsworth and Willingham were arrested by customs officers at the San Antonio, Texas airport. Two days later, Homburg was arrested while transporting the prior 1100-pound delivery of marijuana from Indianapolis to Milwaukee.