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TAMPA - As a musician, Harvey "Duke" Faglier said he was a natural to help federal agents investigate illegal drugs. A guitarist who has played and recorded with Jerry Lee Lewis, Faglier said he first worked as a police informant in 1973 when federal authorities were investigating doctors writing illegal prescriptions. "A lot of musicians take drugs," Faglier said, explaining why he was able to help. Faglier was testifying in U.S. District Court in the trial of Herbert Ferrell Jr., accused of being leader of a ring that turned upscale homes into indoor marijuana farms. Ten co-defendants have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government. Faglier said he has traveled the globe as a police informant and worked for many law enforcement agencies. In 1992, he infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia, helping authorities bring weapons charges against some Klansmen. Defense attorney Joseph Bodiford has described Faglier as a tattoo- covered beast and a monster who coerced Ferrell into participating in the growing operation. Faglier said he was introduced to Ferrell by Dan Delpiano. The prosecution says Ferrell approached Delpiano about investing in the marijuana business, not knowing that Delpiano was an informant. Bodiford had Faglier show the jury a tattoo of a dollar sign on the palm of his left hand. He asked if Faglier's undercover work was motivated by money. "That, and to some degree, motherhood and apple pie," Faglier said. "I believe in what I'm doing." He said this case was the first time he helped investigate marijuana growers. Faglier said he's received $15,000 so far for his expenses and hopes to receive more money for his trouble. Under questioning by Bodiford, Faglier said he kept a shotgun in the bedroom where he stayed on Crooked Lane in Lutz. Bodiford played a recording of Faglier showing Farrell scars he said he got when he was stabbed by two robbers in Miami. One of the robbers, Faglier tells Ferrell, is "no longer with us." Faglier explained, under questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Porcelli, that that conversation started when Ferrell showed Faglier a knife and let him hold it. He said Ferrell told him about collecting knives and his interest in martial arts. Bodiford accused Faglier of threatening and bullying Ferrell, which Faglier repeatedly denied. Bodiford played a recording of Faglier agreeing to kill a member of the ring who was causing trouble. Faglier said he went along with the idea as part of the role he was playing and to possibly help law enforcement make another case for conspiracy to commit murder. There was no evidence that plot materialized. Bodiford played a recording in which Ferrell talks about the financing of the grow house. Referring to Delpiano, Ferrell tells Faglier, "Dan basically said, 'Put it together.' You said, 'Put it together.' That's what I've done." The defense attorney told Faglier that statement was "consistent with the fact that you were pushing this guy to put everything together so you could get paid by the DEA." "No," Faglier said. "I never once pressured Mr. Ferrell." Porcelli played several recordings showing Ferrell more in control of what was happening. In one conversation, Ferrell ticks off a shopping list for setting up the grow house that Faglier was to operate on Crooked Lane under the covert supervision of the Drug Enforcement Administration. "We need winches, metal piping, fans, ducts, rubber tubing, osmosis, timers, paint, cords," Ferrell said on the recording, speaking slowly, seeming to give the listeners time to take notes. To that list he added, "vents, insulation ... gutters. Now, on the gutters, you'll have several pieces. You'll have the gutters, the end caps - because we're going to have end caps on some of these - and connectors." On another recording, Ferrell comments, "I've always been in legitimate business. This is the first time I've ventured into business on this side of it." Faglier said, when it was time to shut the operation down, he and the DEA concocted a story to tell Ferrell and the others so he could leave town. Agents took the plants out of the Crooked Lane house, and he said he called Ferrell in the middle of the night pretending to be agitated. "I told him the house had been broken into through the sliding glass door," Faglier said. "Somebody drugged my dog. We made it pretty elaborate." When Farrell showed up, the dog, Rambo, was staggering, he said. But he said that was a coincidence. "It was an Academy Award performance by my dog." |
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We are careful not to duplicate the efforts of other organizations, and as a grassroots coalition of prisoners and social reformers, our resources (time and money) are limited. The vast expertise and scope of the various drug reform organizations will enable you to stay informed on the ever-changing, many-faceted aspects of the movement. Our colleagues in reform also give the latest drug war news. Please check their websites often. |
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