Hells Angels’ Bud Runner Gets 12 Years

SEATTLE, WA – A 60-year-old Canadian truck driver, JAMES POSTLETHWAITE of North Vancouver, BC, is headed to federal prison for 12 years after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Postlethwaite was identified as a key transporter for a drug ring with ties to the Hells Angels, funneling massive amounts of marijuana into the U.S. and cocaine back north into Canada.

The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour, underscored the scale of Postlethwaite’s operation. The judge stated that Postlethwaite “understood the size and scope of the conspiracy,” and bore responsibility for smuggling “vast quantities” of marijuana into the United States. He further noted the devastating impact of cocaine on the streets of Vancouver, directly linking Postlethwaite’s actions to the city’s drug problems.

Federal investigators with the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began unraveling the international drug trafficking ring in May 2010. Wiretaps revealed the operation moved between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds of marijuana and 100 to 200 kilograms of cocaine *every month*. The marijuana was distributed across the U.S. to states including California, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, and New Jersey, with profits used to purchase cocaine in Southern California for transport back to British Columbia.

The investigation zeroed in on a Seattle-area warehouse as the central hub for marijuana distribution. Agents identified Postlethwaite’s semi-truck as a regular delivery vehicle. A search of the warehouse in April 2011 revealed a sophisticated hidden compartment in Postlethwaite’s rig, capable of concealing over 600 pounds of “BC Bud” per load. Testimony showed Postlethwaite made as many as 95 cross-border runs with the hidden compartment, all for the Hells Angels organization in BC, Canada. He was arrested March 9, 2012, while attempting to cross the border at Eastport, Idaho, in a different truck. The original truck with the compartment was later found with another driver.

Postlethwaite has been in U.S. custody since his March 2012 arrest. He’s just one of two dozen individuals charged in the case, with seven already receiving lengthy prison sentences. Among those sentenced are Jacob Saul Stuart, the U.S. ringleader (15 years); Michael Murphy, a drug-transporting pilot (12 years); Jacob Burdick, who handled storage and transport (12 years); John Washington, a distributor (11 years); Glen Stewart, a Custer, Washington courier (12 years); Mario Joseph Fenianos, a Canadian cocaine supplier (13 years); and Michael William Dubois, another Canadian involved in the cocaine side (10 years).

Law enforcement seized over $2 million in cash and 136 kilograms of cocaine during the investigation. On April 28, 2011, agents confiscated more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana from locations nationwide. This was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, receiving federal funding to support the involved agencies. The DEA led the investigation.