Two participants in a smuggling scam that secreted acid-like hallucinogens into a Broward Sheriff's Office facility have pleaded guilty in federal court. But this story -- which was broken by New Times in early December -- doesn't look like it's over yet. Court records show Dean Aubol and Gregory Golden have admitted they were on the receiving end of shipments of 25I-NBOMe, the dangerous designer drug of choice among local teens looking to burn recreational holes in their brains. The chemical genius allegedly mailing the drugs to his friends inside, William Hahne, is still fighting his charges.
New court records describe Hahne's plan to set up a jailhouse drug ring. "I am cash poor and 25 filthy rich," he wrote to an accomplice, referring to the drug's street name.
But the plot, which included cartoon postcards soaked in the drug, commissary payoffs, and an accomplice code-named "Dicklick," wasn't exactly destined for success.
According to the facts laid out in Aubol and Golden's plea deals, law enforcement first learned about the drugs inside the jail in August 2014, when a jailhouse snitch told authorities about psychedelics circulating the Joseph Conte facility in Pompano Beach. The insider was housed in the same unit -- B-8 -- as Aubol and Golden. The source told law enforcement Hahne was mailing pictures on paper laced with NBOMe to Aubol. Golden then tore up the paper into 250 pieces, selling off each piece for $10 a pop.
The insider offered to make a purchase for authorities. A few days later, the buy went down in the cell block's dayroom. The paper tested positive for NBOMe. After that, a piece of Aubol's mail was intercepted at the facility. Inside was a comic drawing that later also tested positive for the designer drug. Included was a letter, allegedly from Hahne.
The writer starts out by saying he's thinking of getting the included image as a tattoo. "I'm imagining offering some guy who fits the bill a generous supply of 25 in exchange for his assistance."
The writer also talks about how he's working with Golden and wonders if helping out Aubol as well won't create too much competition in the cell block. "This is why I asked if you were willing and capable of moving to another unit, out of B8. But now you're telling me you don't think this will be problematic."
Hahne also seems willing to expand his operations. "So let me ask you this, Dino old boy; in addition to doing like Greg is in there, do you have people in the DC area, S FL, or elsewhere that you can trust and that might be interested in doing likewise?"
A second piece of mail heading for Aubol was intercepted a few days later. This time, the return address listed Hahne's name. In it, he talks about a friend who's apparently incarcerated in Georgia. Hahne boasts about mailing this friend a "letter containing something worth $15K" -- apparently NBOMe. He writes:
"I love being able to play Santa to people... I have the wherewithal to make megabucks right now, but can't do it due to too much personal bullshit I've got going on." The drawing inside this letter also tested positive for NBOMe.
Court documents also show how the payment between Hahne and his insiders went down. After mailing off the goods, Golden's girlfriend was supposed to send Hahne $200 via Western Union for the shipment. The Western Union code name to retrieve the money was -- seriously -- "Dicklick." Golden's girlfriend -- a woman named Teresa Placentino -- was supposed to "pass that information on to 'Bill.'"
On August 27, police went to Hahne's house. They discovered postcards already addressed to Aubol. Hahne admitted he'd befriended Golden while inside the Conte facility for an April 2014 NBOMe charge. He also admitted to sending drug-laced letters to Aubol, who then gave them to Golden to distribute.
It turns out, however, Hahne wasn't able to get the money from Golden from Western Union. Hahne confused the code word -- he thought "Dicklick" was "Bicklick." This is probably a good example of why you shouldn't spend your life woofing down psychedelic drugs.
Golden's girlfriend, Placentino, was not charged. She told investigators she believed the money was just for sheets of tattoos.
Authorities eventually charged Hahne, Aubol, and Golden with distribution of a controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Aubul and Golden entered their guilty pleas last week. Hahne has pleaded not guilty. He is undergoing a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. When we went to visit Hahne in December at the main BSO jail, he declined to discuss his case.
Late Monday, no one answered at the phone numbers listed in court documents for Hahne. When we tried a number listed to Placentino in the court record, a woman who identified herself as Golden's sister returned our call. The woman indicated Placentino was also in the room.
"A newspaper reporter?" Golden's sister asked.
"I'm not talking to no newspaper reporter," another woman -- Placentino? -- screamed from the background.
"Nobody here is talking to a newspaper reporter, I'm sorry," Golden's sister said before hanging up.
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