Sergeant Smack, page 34
DURING THE MONTHS of May and June, Ike continued to put his smuggling network in place, using Wade as his “go-between.” Wade contacted and recruited Eddie Wooten, Ike’s old friend from his gambling days in Germany who later became one of the main buyers of his heroin. Wade told Wooten that Ike wanted him to find Norman Young, whom Ike heard was living in Germany with a woman named Sylvia Bailey. Young was a friend of Ike’s and they had served together in the U.S. Army in Germany. The DEA intercepted the call and checked their files for information on Bailey and Young. Both had been convicted of heroin smuggling but remained active in the business.
As we read earlier, Dan Burch, Ike’s pal from Akron Ohio, who had worked the MPC (Military Payment Certificates) scam with him in Vietnam, had bought authentic military IDs from Sylvia Bailey in the late 1960s. Burch paid Bailey about $20 for a stolen ID and purchased as many as twenty at a time. On February 2, 1974, Bailey and William Ward, her American common-in-law husband, were arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, as part of a $10 million “mail order” heroin smuggling operation. According to the DEA and Thai authorities, the operation involved more than 100 drug traffickers in the U.S. When the Thai police searched the duo’s plush hotel room at the Hyatt Rama Hotel, they found 100 envelopes with the names of known U.S. heroin dealers and $1.6 million worth of ultra-pure China white heroin. The DEA concluded these many years later that Bailey and Young still had the connections that could make Ike’s plan work.
Jimmy Smedley, the former “Black ambassador to Thailand” who managed Jack’s American Star Bar, had completed an eight-year sentence at the Lampoc Federal Prison Camp in Lampoc, California, after his extradition from Thailand or Hong Kong and conviction in the U.S. for conspiracy to traffic heroin. Ike had kept track of Smedley after Smedley was extradited to the U.S. Ike contacted him through Wade at Smedley’s Los Angeles home. Smedley agreed that at the appropriate time he would go to Bangkok, with Savaneeya “Ponsi” Batton, a former long-time employee at Jack’s American Star Bar. A FBI check of the official authorized visitors list at Lampoc Prison Camp revealed that Ponsi and her husband, Cleophus Batton, had visited Smedley during his incarceration.
In 1975, Ponsi had married Cleophus Batton, an ex-GI who served with Ike in the U.S. Army in Germany. In 1979 Ponsi and Cleophus moved to the U.S.; six years later, Ponsi became a naturalized citizen. “My initial plan was to locate Nitaya, (Jack’s wife),” said Ike. “Nitaya had helped set up the drug ring in 1968, but we couldn’t find her. Ponsi was a good woman who had a good head on her shoulders and had done a good job (working) at Jack’s American Star Bar.”
Ike’s moneyman in Washington, DC, who owned the two record stores and who financially back Ike’s criminal adventure, was out $100,000 already, thanks to Norbert, and wanted to recoup his investment. On May 27th, Ike telephoned Wade and asked him to tell the moneyman that he needed a round trip ticket to Bangkok and about $450 in cash for Ponsi’s hotel and travel expenses. By June 4th, Ike made plans for Smedley and Ponsi to go to Thailand, and possibly Germany, to make arrangements to smuggle heroin to the U.S.
To coordinate his heroin network, Ike wanted to use the U.S. mail service as well as the telephone, so he recruited Samuel Arrante, a stocky Italian-American civilian prison worker at the Otisville federal pen. After working in the mailroom of the Records and Discharge Department at Otisville, Arrante became the laundry plant manager for the prison. Ike had worked for Arrante and the two were friendly.
Arrante had lamented to Ike that his wife wanted to start a restaurant, but that the interest charges on loans were outrageous.
“That’s crazy, man,” Ike said. “I’ll loan you the money. How much do you need?”
At first, Arrante declined Ike’s offer, but Ike persisted. “Look, Sammy, no problem, no strings attached.”
Arrante slept on Ike’s offer and the next day he agreed to accept a $2,000 loan from Ike.
“Don’t worry about repaying me,” Ike told Arrante. “We will take care of it when I get out of prison.”
In early May 1986, Ike gave Wade’s telephone number to Arrante and told him to call his nephew and arrange a meeting so Arrante could pick up the loan. On May 22, Wade gave Arrante the $2,000. Returning to the prison, Arrante thanked Ike, not realizing he had unwittingly become part of Ike’s heroin smuggling plan. Ike began putting his powers of persuasion to work, and Arrante began mailing letters for Ike, even though he knew he was breaking prison rules. Eventually, Ike gave Arrante $3,000 for his help in mailing the letters.
On July 8, Ike called Drayton Curry, his old friend from North Carolina who was living in Washington, DC. During their conversation, they talked about Norman Young. Ike had learned that Young was in trouble with the law in Germany, so he was going to have to find somebody else. Ike said his new contact turned out well and that they were “in the move right now.” He should know something in a week or two, Ike revealed. He told Curry he would contact him again. During the conversation, Wooten arrived at Curry’s house, and Ike spoke with him. “Young’s too hot,” Ike told Wooten. “I’m going to get somebody else on that.”
In early August, however, another problem popped up. Ike’s people could not find Wade. On August 3, Wooten told Ike that Curry had been unable to locate Wade and that his phone had been disconnected. Wooten had left messages for Wade to call either Curry or him, but Wade had not responded. Wade had not paid his phone bills, so on July 7 the telephone company disconnected his service. The federal authorities were also wondering what happened to Wade. They had not intercepted one of his calls since July 7th.
Behind the scenes, Wade was having serious doubts about the prospects of Ike’s plan succeeding and was avoiding his associates. He was now convinced that Wolfgang Preisler was some kind of law enforcement agent. He felt Ike had blinders on. It was almost as if his uncle was trying to will his plan to succeed. Disconnecting his phone was Wade’s way of disassociating himself from Ike’s plan.
Meanwhile, the authorities began intercepting the letters Ike was giving to Arrante to mail. Many of the letters were postmarked “Bloomingburg, New York,” the town where Arrante lived and had Wade’s name and address typed as the return address. The agents would tail Arrante, and, when he dropped off one of Ike’s letters, they would seize it, copy it, reseal it, and put it back into the postal system, according to the requirements of the search warrant. On at least one of the letters, FBI agents found Arrante’s fingerprints. Across the top of the envelopes, Ike wrote: “GRAPEVINE LETTER—ATTENTION.” That was Ike’s way of saying the letter was safe.
On August 22, the authorities seized a letter sent by Ike to Curry they believed provided information and directions about Ike’s proposed heroin network. In the letter Ike wrote: “Now let me get to business. I’m talking about the whole thing for $25. Now within six weeks, you can get someone cheaper than $25. I don’t know how much cheaper just now until Wade and the people get together.”
The FBI analyzed the letter and later in a sworn affidavit, Raymond Kerr, a Special Agent of the FBI assigned the Atkinson-Otisville investigation, concluded; “Based on my experience and in the context of this investigation, I believe that $25 means $25,000 and refers to the price per kilogram of heroin to be delivered to New York.”
On August 30th, Preisler wrote a letter to Ike. He introduced himself as the person with whom Norbert had discussed providing the “service you require.” Preisler explained that he had lost contact with Norbert and did not know how to reach him. He told Ike about his meeting with Wade. Although Wade seemed to be “a nice gentleman,” he was “not very responsible,” Preisler told Ike. “I’ve had problems reaching him, and sometimes, when we have a meeting, he doesn’t come.” Wolfgang told Ike to contact him, “if I can still of service to you.”
ON SEPTEMBER 11, Ike wrote a letter to Preisler, which, remarkably, he sent through the regular mail service. In it, Ike told the “German diplomat” that he had sent Jimmy Smedley, “my oldest and most trusted friend,” to Thailand to renew an old connection. Smedley would visit Ike next week and report on his trip. At that time, Ike would have all the details for Preisler.
Ike mentioned Norbert and how Ike had paid off the debts that Norbert accrued while at Otisville. “I tried several times to stop him from gambling, but he would not listen to anyone,” Ike wrote. “I still like him, but he sure cost me a lot of money.” Ike ended his letter with: “Don’t be alarmed by the scotch tape on my envelope. This is a safe letter.”
Nearly six weeks later, Preisler sent Ike another letter, informing him that he had just returned from Germany. He had bad news to report. Norbert had died of cancer on October 4, 1986. “He was very sick and spent several weeks in the hospital at Quakenbruch (Germany) before he died,” Wolfgang revealed.
On November 12, Ike responded to Wolfgang’s letter. “Thank you for your letter. Norbert’s death really messed up my mind. This guy played tennis every day he was here. Also, he walked the yard one hour each day. He was only thirty-seven years old. My god! I really liked Norbert more than anyone I met since I have been confined. I feel as if I knew him all my life. He was a real nice guy. I miss him. I hope he is at peace.”
By this point, Ike had gotten Wade back in the fold. He had sent Wade a check for $780 to pay off his telephone bill. “You may call him (Wade) at any time next week if need be,” Ike advised Preisler. But in a letter dated December 12th from Preisler to Ike, Wolfgang complained that Wade’s phone was still not working.
On January 19, 1987, Ike sent Preisler another letter providing instructions on how to get to the Otisville prison and how to fill the visitor’s request form included with the letter. Preisler visited Ike at Otisville with a tape recorder strapped to the inside pocket of his coat. Prison officials also videotaped the meeting.
Ike told Preisler to be prepared to travel to Thailand at the end of February. He had made arrangements through a Thai friend named Ponsi Batton who was going to pick up narcotics from an associate that Ike had used in the past when he was in Thailand. The money for the heroin was sent to Thailand (about $15,000) and placed in “escrow” with his former Thai lawyer. Ike expected to make a return of $7,500 to $10,000 per kilo. Ike wanted the heroin to be 90 percent pure or he would not buy it. Ike considered this trip a trial run but, if it was successful, everybody stood to make millions because he planned to import no less than 50 kilos per shipment.
Ike told Preisler he would give him Ponsi’s Bangkok phone number, and he gave him a code he had to use when calling her. The code: “I know Ike.” Ponsi would respond with the other part of the code: “I know Jimmy.” “Use the name ‘Norbert Mock’ when you call the Thai woman,” Ike instructed Wolfgang. On February 12, Wade called Preisler and gave him four phone numbers: one for Ponsi’s sister in Bangkok, another for Ponsi’s father, and two phone numbers for Ponsi’s place of employment in Delaware.
The following day, Preisler called Ponsi using the code Ike had provided. They agreed that Ponsi would leave for Bangkok on March 2nd and Preisler the following day. Preisler would contact Ponsi on March 6th, the day he would arrive in Bangkok.
FINALLY, IKE THOUGHT he had his plan in operation. Preisler and some FBI agents arrived in Bangkok and were met by DEA agents and Thai law enforcement officials. Preisler made contact immediately with Ponsi and let her know that he was staying at the Impala Hotel in room 602.
“Have you received a package yet?” Preisler asked.
“No I haven’t,” Ponsi said. “But I want to meet you first.”
At 9 p.m. the following day, Ponsi and Preisler met at the Impala for half-an-hour.
“The package arrived this afternoon,” Ponsi said, and she told Preisler to call her the next day to arrange a time to pick it up.
On March 8, Preisler and Ponsi met in the lobby at the Impala Hotel. Ponsi had a shopping bag with her. The two exchanged greetings and took the elevator to Preisler’s room. Once inside, Ponsi wasted no time in opening the shopping bag and pulling out a plastic bag wrapped in a newspaper. It contained 5.28 pounds of heroin worth $450,000 on the street. Ponsi told Preisler that Wade had called her. She had assured him that everything was going to plan.
“If I want to purchase some heroin on my own,” Preisler asked Ponsi, “could you get it for me?”
“Yes, I can, but I need two days notice,” Ponsi replied. “First, though, I will need the money in advance.”
“I’ll let you know if I’m interested,” Preisler said.
ON MARCH 11, 1987, Preisler and the two FBI agents arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport with the 5.28 pounds of heroin, the evidence they needed to bust the re-constituted Atkinson drug ring. After moving the contraband through Customs, it was brought to the DEA lab for analysis where tests showed the heroin to be 94 percent pure. Later, The Washington Post reported that it was the purest heroin ever tested at the DEA lab.
Two days later, Preisler called Wade. He said he had the package but was still in Germany. He would return to New York City on March 7th. They agreed that Preisler would deliver the heroin to Wade the following day at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. For Ike it would be the culmination of more than a year’s planning and preparation and the revival of his international network. Meantime, the FBI and DEA prepared for the conclusion of their investigation.
Over breakfast at the Waldorf, Wade and Preisler discussed how things went in Thailand. Wade assured the DEA undercover agent that he would be paid for delivering the heroin to him. They went outside to Wolfgang’s car where Wolfgang handed Wade a small silver-colored suitcase. Seconds later, DEA and FBI agents descended on the scene and arrested Wade. In Thailand, the local authorities, together with the DEA, arrested Ponsi and extradited her to the U.S. The FBI moved to arrest Smedley, Wooten, Curry and the other suspects in the U.S.
AS THE BUST went down, Ike waited in his prison cell. He knew Preisler had returned from Germany and that Wade was going to meet him and pick up the heroin. Before too long, the test run would be completed and he would be back in business.
“It was a shock to see the FBI show up at my cell,” Ike recalled. “They told me what happened and said that I was under arrest. Prison guards were with them and they put handcuffs on me. Here I am in prison and they put handcuffs on me (laughs). They read me my rights and marched me out of my cell. It seemed everybody in the prison was watching me leave. I felt as if I was falling off a cliff. I wondered what went wrong. I thought I was on top of things and had the right people in place. We went to trial. We all got time. I got nine years that was to run consecutively with my other sentences. I thought I could beat the system, but I lost.”
EPILOGUE
THE FEDERAL BUREAU of Prisons (BOP) moved Ike Atkinson to the Metropolitan Correction Center in New York City for the 1987 trial stemming from the failed heroin smuggling scheme he had organized while incarcerated at Otisville Federal Penitentiary. Sitting in the courtroom and listening to the testimony, Ike could see that his scheme had been doomed from the beginning. “I knew we should have checked out the phony German diplomat more carefully,” Ike recalled. “I was angry with Wade (Atkinson), and I didn’t speak to him at the trial. None of the others on trial did either. But I got over my anger. I never held it against Wade. I had to move on.”
Since his incarceration in 1975 and prior to his bust at Otisville, Ike had kept his prison record clean. So he had a good chance of having a large part of his sentence reduced. But for now it seemed that Lazarus had a better chance of returning from the dead than Ike did of becoming a free man. “I talked with Atha (Ike’s wife) and she was really disappointed,” Ike recalled. ”She thought I would never come home.”
ON FEBRUARY 16, 1988, Ike was transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution at Petersburg, Virginia, a medium and low security prison for male offenders, located about 25 miles south of Richmond. Ike was lucky. Given his run-in with the law at Otisville, he could have been transferred to a much tougher facility. Opened in 1930 as Fort Lee, the Petersburg Federal pen is a well-manicured facility that looks like a college campus from the outside. With its large indoor and outdoor recreation areas, the penitentiary offers inmates plenty of opportunities to exercise.
So Ike did not mind the transfer, especially when he learned that he would be spending time once again with his old friend, Joe Stassi. By chance, the BOP had transferred the old mafia soldier from Marion before Ike arrived, and he had about three years to serve before being eligible for parole. Ike also met William “Dog” Turner, the prominent Washington, DC, drug dealer who, in the early 1970s, had bought heroin from Ike’s drug ring. Ike played handball with Dog and walked the trail with Stassi. Since Goldsboro was just a couple of hours away from Petersburg by car, family members were able to visit him regularly on the weekends.
Resourceful as ever despite his setback at Otisville, Ike adapted well to his new prison conditions. But every three months he had to appear before a prison board that reviewed his record. Inevitably, whenever they discussed his criminal record, the rumors about the coffins, heroin and dead bodies would pop up. At Petersburg, Ike finally got tired of hearing the lies that, in Ike’s words, had “blackballed me from the get-go,” and he decided to try and clear his name. In 1988 Ike got a fellow inmate to file a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Richmond challenging the validity of the cadaver-heroin connection theory. It was a quixotic attempt at redress, and the court threw out his suit.
For Ike, being away from his wife and close-knit family was always tough, but it got tougher on May 19, 1991, when Ike’s wife Atha died of heart failure at their home on Neuse Circle in Goldsboro. Ike desperately wanted to attend Atha’s funeral, but the BOP callously denied his request, although it was in its power to allow it. Ike wanted to know why, but the BOP refused to give him a reason.
