Charges dismissed in 2 Nauti-Block cases

April 12--ORLEANS -- Charges against a man and woman arrested last year when law enforcement officers raided homes of alleged Nauti-Block gang associates were dismissed last month when a judge ruled there was no probable cause to search their Dennis residence, according to Orleans District Court documents.

Crystal White, 25, and Jason Greene, 35, were arrested at the Flax Street house on April 5, 2016, when police executed a federal search warrant and allegedly found 20 oxycodone tablets, 16 Suboxone strips, a digital scale, drug packaging material, multiple cellphones and a large sum of money, according to court documents.

The early morning multi-agency raids resulted in more than a dozen arrests of people allegedly associated with the Nauti-Block street gang, which Barnstable police said was responsible for a significant amount of the heroin supplied to Cape Cod.

Most of the defendants were brought to federal court to face charges. Others, such as Greene and White, were arraigned in district court. The two were both charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute a class B drug (oxycodone and Suboxone).

In December, White's attorney, Margaret Olsen, filed a motion to suppress the drug evidence, arguing that the affidavit in support of the search warrant application provided no connection between the Flax Road residence and the drug trafficking organization, according to court documents.

Senior Special Agent John Hayes of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote the 139-page affidavit. In it, he said the purpose of the warrant was to search the residences, as well as stash houses and other locations tied to the drug trafficking organization, for drugs, proceeds and drug packaging paraphernalia, according to Olsen's motion.

Five pages of the affidavit summarized Greene's criminal history and officers' observations of Greene purchasing drugs from alleged gang leaders Christian Chapman or Denzel Chisholm at multiple locations in Hyannis and from Chapman's Roberta Lane home in West Yarmouth.

The affidavit included text messages between Greene and Chapman, but those messages did not indicate that anyone associated with the organization met at the Dennis address or that Greene returned to the address after meeting with Chapman or Chisholm, according to the motion.

On Feb. 8, Judge Robert Welsh III agreed with Olsen that the officers did not have probable cause to search the house, according to court documents.

"All alleged transactions took place away from 28 Flax Street, Dennis," Welsh wrote. "Simply because the defendant Jason Greene may have traveled to transactions from 28 Flax Street, without more, does not create a sufficient probability that this particular defendant kept a supply of drugs at this home."

Although law enforcement officers allegedly found drugs in the house, the charges were dismissed March 24 at the request of the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office for insufficient evidence to prosecute the case, according to the documents.

"We are reviewing the judge's findings to determine if any further appellate action will be taken," Tara Miltimore, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, said Monday.

-- Follow Haven Orecchio-Egresitz on Twitter: @HavenCCT.

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