By Alice Elwell, Enterprise correspondent, September 30, 2006
MIDDLEBORO — It has all the elements of a scripted television series; drugs, murder accusations, a Mexican “pipeline” and swans. But the latest page in the saga of Samuel “Choo-choo” Rodriguez is real, he was sentenced to six years in a New York state prison and is still under investigation for murder.
Rodriguez, 47, was living the quiet life in Middleboro, raising chickens and running an auto body shop on Wood Street until he was arrested in February 2005 on drug-related charges after his Wood Street home was raided. The raid netted an unexpected bonus when hundreds of cockfight birds were discovered. Rodriguez was extradited to New York and the birds were seized by Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said Middleboro Lt. Bruce D. Gates.
Rodriguez, two Taunton men, Antonio Perez and Felix Bruno, and three men from New York faced charges of multiple counts of money laundering and drug trafficking. New York authorities say they suspected Rodriguez's was at the helm of a million-dollar drug operation. Rodriguez pleaded guilty to a New York City drug charge and was sentenced on Friday. All but Bruno pleaded guilty to the charges, and his charges are expected to be disposed of within two weeks said Maggie Gandasegui spokeswoman for the Office of NYC Special Narcotics Prosecutor.
Connecticut state police Det. Martin Graham says Rodriguez is a suspect in the 2003 investigation into the murder of Gustavo Carillo who was found dead from gunshot wounds in his burning BMW off Interstate 95, near the Rhode Island border.
“The investigation is still open and ongoing,” Graham said.
Rodriguez was treated at a Boston hospital for gunshot wounds the same day as Carillo was killed.
Graham and a host of other state and federal agencies have been searching Middleboro and other locations for evidence. He said a pond on Rodriquez's former Wood Street home was drained.
“During the course of the investigation evidence was seized from the property,” Graham said.
He said Rodriguez's operation unraveled when a $1 million cocaine deal went bad on the George Washington Bridge in New York in 2002 and drug couriers were robbed by a gang of thieves. The couriers posed as tourists and reported the theft, but authorities had already discovered the gang was preying on drug dealers, said Graham.
“The guys ripped off in New York were couriers from El Paso, (Texas). They delivered to New York City and were robbed of $13 million after they dropped the drugs,” Graham explained. He said the money was on its way back to El Paso.
Graham, the New York City police and the Drug Enforcement Administration began working together and “the same nicknames and players” started turning up.
“The exchange of information led us to El Paso,” Graham said. “We surmise they supplied Middleboro by way of El Paso, via New York.”
When the joint task force showed up in Middleboro, they found Rodriguez was already under surveillance by Det. Joseph M. Perkins.
While Rodriguez sat in a Riker's Island prison in New York, his Wood Street home was sold and the federal government seized the assets. DEA agent Erin McCulvey said the town of Middleboro will get 13.34 percent of the forfeiture, but said an exact amount has not been totaled.
Middleboro Lt. Bruce D. Gates said there are no charges pending against Rodriguez in his town, and that federal agents took over the case.
But it didn't quiet down on Wood Street after Rodriguez was arrested. The home was bought by Edward Ferreira who inherited a collection of exotic birds. When one of the birds flew the coop, state authorities stepped in because it was a black Australian swan, which is illegal in Massachusetts. After a lot of red tape and a wild goose chase, the swan was reunited with Ferreira and it's mate.