Sheboygan Man Sentenced For Marijuana Shipment

[Herb Fellow]

A 56-year-old Sheboygan man was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for his involvement in a botched drug shipment that ended up in the hands of police, according to court records released Friday.

Spencer C. Gilbert, of 813-A National Ave., was arrested in September after the sender inverted two digits in the address on a $30,000 shipment of marijuana, according to a criminal complaint.

Gilbert pleaded no contest to a charge of marijuana possession with intent to deliver and was sentenced by Judge Timothy Van Akkeren to the prison term and three years supervision.

According to the complaint:

The 30-pound package, mailed from Hollywood, Calif., arrived in Sheboygan on Sept. 14 addressed to 1516 North Ave., an address that does not exist. UPS workers — per company policy — opened the package to look for an invoice with a correct address and instead found nine bricks and eight bags of marijuana.

Police immediately set up surveillance in the 1500 and 1600 blocks of North Avenue, and soon noticed suspicious activity around a home at 1615 North Ave., where a friend of Gilbert's lives.

On Sept. 17, a state drug agent dressed as a UPS employee delivered the package to that address. A woman at the home said she didn't know the person the package was addressed to but allowed the agent to leave the package.

About 20 minutes later, Michael A. Rieger, 45, of 1214 Geele Ave., picked up the package and drove it to his north-side home, where investigators confronted him. Rieger said the woman had called him when she was unable to reach Gilbert, adding that he picked up the package hoping that when he delivered it to Gilbert, Gilbert would pay the $800 he owed him.

Rieger then agreed to wear a wire and deliver the marijuana to Gilbert, who instructed him to drop the package off at Gilbert's home. Rieger has pleaded not guilty to a felony count of marijuana possession with intent to deliver and is due in court Jan. 3.

Source: The Sheboygan Press
Copyright: 2007 The Sheboygan Press
Contact: Sheboygan Press staff
Website: The Sheboygan Press - Sheboygan man sentenced for marijuana shipment