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Broward teacher admits role in 667-pound pot smuggling case
Tarakiki Dozier, 39, of Margate, a Broward school teacher, pleaded not guilty to federal charges she was part of a marijuana-smuggling conspiracy. She is pictured in a 2006 arrest photograph.
(Sun Sentinel / Broward Sheriff's Office Handout)
By Paula McMahon Sun Sentinel
A Broward preschool teacher admitted Thursday she was part of a conspiracy that smuggled more than 667 pounds of pot into Palm Beach County.
Tarakiki Dozier, 39, of Margate, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to import marijuana during a hearing in federal court in West Palm Beach.
Shortly after her May 14 arrest, Broward school district officials moved Dozier from her role as a special needs teacher who worked with preschoolers at Dania Elementary School to a position where she no longer had contact with students.
Dozier is the daughter of the Rev. O'Neal Dozier, the controversial political activist and leader of Pompano Beach's Worldwide Christian Center.
http://www.twwcc.org/#!wwwtwwccorg-founders-twwcc/cnyl
Tarakiki Dozier has been free on a $100,000 bond signed by her parents since shortly after her arrest. She is one of three people indicted on several drug-smuggling charges.
One co-defendants, Reinaldo Whylly, is a Bahamian resident who is the father of her daughter, according to family and court records.
Dozier admitted she acted as a go-between for Whylly and the other defendant, Leonard Johnson, who was expecting to receive at least some of the drug shipment, according to court records.
Several phone calls between Whylly and Dozier concerning a planned shipment of marijuana from the Bahamas to South Florida were intercepted by a Bahamian wiretap between mid-January and early February 2013, prosecutor Alexandra Chase said in court.
Broward teacher arrested on federal pot smuggling charges
"These communications revealed that [Dozier] was relaying information about the status of the shipment, including reasons for delay, from Whylly to co-conspirators in the United States," according to the plea agreement.
Law enforcement in Palm Beach County seized the haul of marijuana from a boat on Feb. 7, 2013, after a drug-sniffing dog indicated there were drugs on the vessel. Investigators discovered 96 packages of marijuana, wrapped in plastic, that contained more than 667 pounds of the substance, authorities said.
Dozier responded to most of U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg's questions with a "yes" or "no" in court on Friday.
She and her father declined to comment after the hearing.
Though the criminal charge carries a penalty of five to 40 years in federal prison, prosecutors said in court that Dozier may qualify for a lesser sentence if she meets several criteria, including proving that she has no significant criminal history.
She is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 10. Prosecutors said they do not consider her to be a flight risk and the judge agreed to let her travel to the Bahamas next week for a few days to attend her daughter's high school graduation there.
One of Dozier's lawyers, Lawrence Hashish, told the Sun Sentinel that Whylly, who may be in the Bahamas, has not been arrested yet. Hashish declined to comment further on the case.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy operated in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. Dozier was questioned in September 2013 and the then-sealed grand jury indictment was issued in April 2014, but Dozier and Johnson were not arrested until last month. Authorities have not explained the reason for the delay.
Johnson, who has pleaded not guilty, is also free on bond, court records show. He is scheduled to go to trial later this year.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/cr...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/crime/fl-broward-teacher-marijuana-smuggling-20150515-story.html
She is a special needs teacher who works with pre-schoolers at Dania Elementary, Broward School District officials confirmed. She has worked for the school district since 2004 and earns $49,400 a year.
_________________________________
Glenn Frey - Smuggler's Blues
Broward teacher admits role in 667-pound pot smuggling case
Tarakiki Dozier, 39, of Margate, a Broward school teacher, pleaded not guilty to federal charges she was part of a marijuana-smuggling conspiracy. She is pictured in a 2006 arrest photograph.
(Sun Sentinel / Broward Sheriff's Office Handout)
By Paula McMahon Sun Sentinel
A Broward preschool teacher admitted Thursday she was part of a conspiracy that smuggled more than 667 pounds of pot into Palm Beach County.
Tarakiki Dozier, 39, of Margate, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to import marijuana during a hearing in federal court in West Palm Beach.
Shortly after her May 14 arrest, Broward school district officials moved Dozier from her role as a special needs teacher who worked with preschoolers at Dania Elementary School to a position where she no longer had contact with students.
Dozier is the daughter of the Rev. O'Neal Dozier, the controversial political activist and leader of Pompano Beach's Worldwide Christian Center.
http://www.twwcc.org/#!wwwtwwccorg-founders-twwcc/cnyl
Tarakiki Dozier has been free on a $100,000 bond signed by her parents since shortly after her arrest. She is one of three people indicted on several drug-smuggling charges.
One co-defendants, Reinaldo Whylly, is a Bahamian resident who is the father of her daughter, according to family and court records.
Dozier admitted she acted as a go-between for Whylly and the other defendant, Leonard Johnson, who was expecting to receive at least some of the drug shipment, according to court records.
Several phone calls between Whylly and Dozier concerning a planned shipment of marijuana from the Bahamas to South Florida were intercepted by a Bahamian wiretap between mid-January and early February 2013, prosecutor Alexandra Chase said in court.
Broward teacher arrested on federal pot smuggling charges
"These communications revealed that [Dozier] was relaying information about the status of the shipment, including reasons for delay, from Whylly to co-conspirators in the United States," according to the plea agreement.
Law enforcement in Palm Beach County seized the haul of marijuana from a boat on Feb. 7, 2013, after a drug-sniffing dog indicated there were drugs on the vessel. Investigators discovered 96 packages of marijuana, wrapped in plastic, that contained more than 667 pounds of the substance, authorities said.
Dozier responded to most of U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg's questions with a "yes" or "no" in court on Friday.
She and her father declined to comment after the hearing.
Though the criminal charge carries a penalty of five to 40 years in federal prison, prosecutors said in court that Dozier may qualify for a lesser sentence if she meets several criteria, including proving that she has no significant criminal history.
She is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 10. Prosecutors said they do not consider her to be a flight risk and the judge agreed to let her travel to the Bahamas next week for a few days to attend her daughter's high school graduation there.
One of Dozier's lawyers, Lawrence Hashish, told the Sun Sentinel that Whylly, who may be in the Bahamas, has not been arrested yet. Hashish declined to comment further on the case.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy operated in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. Dozier was questioned in September 2013 and the then-sealed grand jury indictment was issued in April 2014, but Dozier and Johnson were not arrested until last month. Authorities have not explained the reason for the delay.
Johnson, who has pleaded not guilty, is also free on bond, court records show. He is scheduled to go to trial later this year.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/cr...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/crime/fl-broward-teacher-marijuana-smuggling-20150515-story.html
She is a special needs teacher who works with pre-schoolers at Dania Elementary, Broward School District officials confirmed. She has worked for the school district since 2004 and earns $49,400 a year.
_________________________________
Glenn Frey - Smuggler's Blues
