Jason Boyachek, Alberta Man Pleads Guilty In Iowa To Role In Pot Smuggling Ring

The Canadian Press, 29 Jul, 2015 12:13 PM

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — An Alberta man has pleaded guilty in Iowa to helping smuggle thousands of kilograms of marijuana into the United States.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 42-year-old Jason Boyachek, of Edmonton, on Monday pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids to conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

A money laundering charge will be dismissed.

Prosecutors say Boyachek was involved in a ring that smuggled more than 3,800 kilograms of hydroponically grown marijuana from British Columbia over 2005 and 2006.

The pot was allegedly hauled in semitrailers to a farm near Delaware, Iowa, and divided for shipment to Boston, Chicago and New York.

A federal grand jury indicted Boyachek in 2009.

His extradition fight ended in November when a B.C. court ordered his transfer to the United States for trial.

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