HUGE DRUG RING BUSTED, OFFICIALS SAY

Ohio is one of 31 states where drug smuggling has been directly linked
to Franklin and St. Lawrence counties, Champagne said.

The first transaction in this investigation occurred Sept. 14, 2007,
and the last on June 14, 2009, and included 45 separate trips made
between the two states, using Avis rental cars and coordinating
cellular-telephone calls, investigators say.

Champagne said at least 18 of the loads, which had a street value of
$500,000 each, came directly from Franklin County in one year, with
the entire smuggling operation having a value of $18 million to $27
million.

The DA said Schmid and Sorin showed up in St. Regis Falls on Saturday
nights, where the pot was allegedly vacuum-sealed in bags by the Frasers.

The Ohio couple would leave the next day, taking with them two or
three hockey-equipment duffel bags stuffed with the pot, Champagne
said.

By renting the cars in New York, where the vehicles carry New York
plates, the smugglers from Ohio blended in with all other drivers,
prosecutors said.

The case started in late 2007, when authorities with the cities of
Beachwood and Reminderville began investigating Russian organized
crime in the Cleveland area and learned groups were receiving large
amounts of pot from Simonds.

After his murder, Ohio authorities continued to track the crime
network and provided updates to both district attorneys and to the
Plattsburgh field office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Champagne said that within a short time, the new delivery system was
established. Earlier this year, investigators from Ohio came to the
North Country to help the authorities identify the dealers and
formulate a plan to dismantle the smuggling network.