10 charged in $3M, two-state drug bust

BELDING, Mich. (WOOD) -- Ten people are facing charges in connection with a $3.6 million drug bust that stretched from West Michigan to New Mexico.

The marijuana was purchased in Albuquerque, N.M. and smuggled in vehicles to Grand Rapids, Belding and Leroy, and then sold in these Michigan communities.

The suspects were responsible for distributing more than 3,000 pounds of marijuana since 2008, according to a news release from the Kent County Sheriff's Department.

The Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team ( KANET), the Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA) and the United States Attorney's Office teamed up on the bust.

The investigation culminated in January 2009 with the arrest of Rene Jimenez-Saenz, who authorities say was the source of the marijuana in Albuquerque.

More than $240,000 in cash, two houses, 35 firearms and several vehicles, including a 2008 Honda Ridgeline, a 2009 Honda Ridgeline and a 1999 Harley Davidson Fatboy, were seized.

One of the houses is on the shore of Tower Lake in Belding. The other house is on 10 acres in Leroy, which had large commercial safes built into the basement and a 60x40 pole barn to secure the drug profits and the marijuana.

Beginning in March 2009, KANET detectives learned suspect Timothy Vangessel traveled to New Mexico to buy loads of marijuana and brought the drug back to West Michigan and sold it for profit.

KANET members contacted the DEA and began working the case together.

Investigators later identified nine other suspects ranging from New York to New Mexico.

The DEA and KANET conducted search warrants in Grand Rapids, Belding, Leroy, and Albuquerque. They also conducted consent searches in Comstock Park, Cadillac, Sand Lake, Kentwood, Grand Rapids and Albuquerque.

The investigation revealed Vangessel was involved in more than 20 trips to Albuquerque. Once there, he purchased loads of marijuana ranging from 50 pounds to more than 250 pounds from Jimenez-Saenz.

The marijuana was concealed in car trunks and the side bed walls of the Ridgeline pickup trucks.

Vangessel then drove to his Belding home where the marijuana was sold to other dealers in Kent County and Leroy.

The dealers were identified as Mario Dimambro of Leroy, Justin Westhuis of Grand Rapids and Dorian Brandt of Caledonia.

Sometime in 2008, Vangessel, Dimambro, Westhuis and Brandt began recruiting others to be paid couriers for the loads of marijuana driven from New Mexico to Michigan. The couriers were paid up to $5,000 per trip.

Eventually, Lizzette Blanchard, Robert Whitcomb and Anthony Vangessel were identified as paid couriers for other members of the accused drug trafficking organization.

All of the couriers made several trips, except for Whitcomb, who was caught in Nebraska in October 2008 with a 200-pound load of marijuana destined for Timothy Vangessel and Brandt. It was later learned this was Whitcomb's first trip as a courier for the organization.

Eight of the suspects have been indicted on federal drug trafficking charges and are being prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office in Grand Rapids:

• Timothy Vangessel -- conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana; penalty of 5 to 40 years; pleaded guilty and awaiting sentencing
• Mario Dimambro -- conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana; penalty of 5 to 40 years; pleaded guilty and awaiting sentencing
• Dorian Brandt -- conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana; penalty of 5 to 40 years; pleaded guilty and awaiting sentencing
• Justin Westhuis -- conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana; penalty of 5 to 40 years; pleaded guilty and awaiting sentencing
• Robert Whitcomb -- conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana; penalty of 5 to 40 years; pleaded guilty and awaiting sentencing
• Anthony Vangessel -- conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana; penalty of 5 to 40 years; indicted and a trial is pending
• Rene Jimenez-Saenz -- conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana; penalty of 10 years to life; indicted and a trial is pending
• Lizzette Blanchard -- interstate travel in aid of racketeering; penalty of up to 5 years; pleaded guilty and sentencing is pending

Two other suspects were prosecuted by the Kent County Prosecutor's Office on state of Michigan felony drug charges:

• Thomas Koryto -- possession with intent to distribute marijuana and maintaining a drug house
• The other suspect was not named in a news release