DRUG CONSPIRATOR GETS 2 YEARS

Condo Owner Must Forfeit Home For Ties To Major Cocaine Ring

Scott Carstens never used cocaine, nor did he profit from it financially.

But he obtained a small amount of cocaine for his girlfriend on several
occasions, and he willingly lent his Pensacola Beach condominium to Jackie
Seale, a longtime friend well-known for selling cocaine.

U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson on Wednesday sentenced Carstens, a 52-
year-old contractor, to two years in federal prison followed by three years
of probation for his role in "Operation Sandshaker," a three-year
investigation that revealed large amounts of cocaine being sold on
Pensacola Beach. He also ordered him to forfeit his $230,000 condominium to
the U.S. government.

Carstens, who also faces Internet gambling allegations in state court, said
outside court that his reputation has been "shot."

He acknowledged that it was "poor judgment" to allow Seale, whom he knew
made his living as a drug dealer, to use his unit at the Emerald Isle
Condominium during a weekend in early November.

"But he had been a good friend to me for a long time," he said. "I didn't
expect something like this to happen."

Carstens also said he was disappointed he didn't get a lighter sentence
since he was so minimally involved in the operation.

"I wasn't trying to help (Seale) sell anything or trying to make money,"
Carstens said, adding that he had allowed Seale to stay at his condo with
family and friends several times in the past without incident.

Carstens said he's hopeful a business partner will be able to keep his
home-building company running while he's in prison.

But Carstens' legal problems are far from over, with a racketeering charge
carrying a potential sentence of 30 years still hanging over his head.

In January, he was arrested for allegedly acting as a bookmaker for an
illegal Internet gambling operation based in Costa Rica.

His defense attorney, Barry Beroset, said Carstens wasn't aware that the
gambling ring was illegal. That case is in its early stages.

Though Carstens pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute more
than 5 kilograms of cocaine, Beroset argued Wednesday that Carstens only
had direct involvement with a small quantity of the drug.

Carstens admitted that he obtained small amounts of cocaine for his
girlfriend from Seale on three to five occasions. His girlfriend was not
identified.

"He made the mistake of getting cocaine for his girlfriend's personal use a
handful of times over a period of several years," Beroset said. "And
because of that, he's lost everything."

Seale testified at Carstens' sentencing that he brought a kilogram of
cocaine he had just purchased in South Florida to Carstens' condominium on
Oct. 31. Over the next three days, Seale sold cocaine to several people
inside the condo and delivered cocaine to several others from the unit.

The lead agent in the Sandshaker investigation played three recorded
telephone conversations between Carstens and Seale.

Although the two men never made specific arrangements for Seale to
repackage and sell cocaine at the condo, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Swaim
argued that Carstens was well aware of how Seale made his money and should
have known that drug transactions might take place there.

"Everyone who knew Jackie Seale knew that his primary source of income was
from selling cocaine," Swaim said.

Vinson acknowledged that when Seale asked Carstens for use of his condo,
Carstens was likely placed "in a bind that arises out of friendship."

But Vinson said drugs have a "corrosive effect" on communities and
families, and even those who were only peripherally involved in the
Sandshaker drug ring helped it grow and strengthen.

Carstens began working as a carpenter in the area in 1979, then began his
own home-building business.

He could have faced up to life in prison for the drug-conspiracy
conviction, but because he had no prior criminal history and only
participated minimally in the cocaine operation, Vinson granted him a
relatively lenient sentence.

Vinson recommended that Carstens be permitted to serve his sentence at
Saufley Field Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola. He was ordered to surrender
on June 1.

Beroset said he and Carstens have not decided whether to appeal the sentence.

Carstens was the second of 12 federal defendants to be sentenced for their
role in the Sandshaker drug operation.

Mary Jo Archer was sentenced in March to three years of probation, drug
treatment and mental-health counseling.

Other defendants, including Sandshaker Lounge and Package Store owner Linda
Murphy, her husband, Robert, and Seale are scheduled to be sentenced later
this month.

Swaim said in court that the excuses offered by Carstens are likely to be
reiterated by other defendants.

"I think you're going to hear from many people involved in this that, 'I'm
a good person. I've worked really hard all my life. I didn't mean for any
of this to happen,' " Swaim said.

"But look at the devastating effects drugs have on our communities. These
people helped make that happen."

CASE AT A GLANCE

Operation Sandshaker Case

Operation Sandshaker is the culmination of a three-year investigation by
federal and local authorities into a drug-conspiracy ring that came to a
head with dozens of arrests in December.

The investigation centered on the purchase and sale of cocaine, much of
which took place at the Sandshaker Lounge on Pensacola Beach, where many of
the suspects congregated and cashed checks related to drug activity.

The investigation led to the arrest of 53 people who face a variety of
state or federal drug charges ranging from simple possession to federal
counts of drug conspiracy.