Feds bust 24, including Upstate NY school board member, in federal marijuana case

By Robert Gavin | Times Union, Albany

Albany, N.Y. — A 70-year-old woman on the Troy city school board and her daughter were among 24 reputed members of a large-scale marijuana trafficking ring that authorities charged with shipping thousands of kilograms of pot from California to the Capital Region over several years.

Rosemary Coles, 70, is among those facing federal drug and money laundering charges for their alleged roles in an outfit that prosecutors said used UPS and FedEx to clandestinely move the marijuana from a small shipping business in Fresno to Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties, according to a 99-count indictment and forfeiture allegation unsealed in U.S. District Court.

Coles pleaded not guilty on Jan. 6 during an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Stewart. She is charged with conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to sell more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, as well as money laundering and money laundering conspiracy between 2016 and June 15, 20022, the indictment said.

The charges carry 10 years to life in prison upon conviction, but under federal sentencing guidelines the likely term could be far less.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Coles told the Times Union she committed no crime. She said she simply drove her daughter to the bank in her car.

“The only thing I can say is I’m not guilty,” Coles said. “I’ve never done anything against the law in my whole life … I don’t even have a traffic ticket. They’re just…