FEDS Believe A Pittsfield Man Is A Big Part in Marijuana Ring

Federal prosecutors believe they landed a man alleged to have headed up an operation that trafficked a million dollars worth of marijuana from California to Pittsfield.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that Federal authorities were led to 35-year-old Anthony Carnute, AKA Tony the Whale, after a courier was stopped by police at Logan International Airport September 9th of 2016 and found with over $74,000 cash in luggage.

The courier, Christina Marie Lucita Ford, of Boston, told law enforcement officials that alleged supplier, Simon Long of Ukiah, California, had a prime customer in Western Massachusetts Carnute, a.k.a. "Tony the Whale."

The courier told investigators they were working for a man in California named Simon Long and transporting cash proceeds from marijuana sales. They identified Long’s biggest customer as Carnute. According to prosecutors, the money was a payment from Carnute for 20 pounds of marijuana.

Simon Long the California part of this connection told police he gave Carnute the nickname of Whale, based on his first order of marijuana from him, which was 30 pounds according to court records.