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| Steve Maros |  |
I have been incarcerated inside Federal prisons since March 23, 1992. My charge was violation of 46 U.S.C. 1903 (a) - possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance on board a vessel.
The following is the declaration of "Boatswain" on board the Guided Missile Cruiser USS Vincennes: On March 23, 1992, the PACAREA TACLET was on patrol aboard the USS Vincennes off the coast of Mexico. We had previously been advised that an electronic tracking device had been installed on a United States registered vessel which the FBI believed was being used to transport narcotics from Mexico to Southern California.
To make a long story short, after the Coast Guard boarded the 36 foot sailboat, three hours and forty one minutes later, they found 410 pounds of marijuana. After being towed for three days into Long Beach Naval Station from the coast of Southern Baja, a jury trial followed. Here is the conclusion from my trial:
"Previously the defendant had been arrested in Florida in 1984 for transporting marijuana on board a vessel. And that time he was involved with over a thousand pounds of marijuana. He received a 5 year custody sentence with the attorney general for that conviction. The Government has filed a motion alleging the defendant's prior conviction for a narcotics-related offense to enhance the defendant's sentence in the instant offense.
Therefore, although the defendant's guideline range would have been 70 to 87 months, the defendant's Minimum Mandatory sentence is 120 months (10 years) with 8 years of supervised release. Therefore, the Minimum Mandatory sentence of imprisonment shall become the guideline sentence."
From this reading we can all see how far the sentencing guidelines have been submerged. I am 45 years of age, watching my grandchildren grow-up from inside. This case is filled with highly paid convicted informants, Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and the FBI. Millions upon million of tax dollars and months and months of investigation were spent to intercept 400 pounds of marijuana. A waste of time, money and a life.
*Note: The US Government spends $900,000 of your tax dollars an hour on marijuana interdiction alone!
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