Biggest Marijuana Kingpin in New York’s History

Jimmy Cournoyer might be the most notorious cannabis kingpin that New York has ever had to deal with. He began being looked into during January of 2007 but wasn’t given 27 years in federal prison until years later. Cournoyer’s ex-wife had gone to the DEA to complain about her ex and how he was a huge key in a cannabis trade. Then a seven-year investigation took place, but the case that came about is unseen.

“We never saw anything like this guy before,” federal prosecutor Steven L. Tiscione reported. “In terms of his longevity and scope, and the connections he had around the world, nothing, nobody, comes close.”

This man would handle shipments of cannabis across the New York-Quebec through both motorboats and snowmobile. He gained a massive income and ended up driving a Bugatti Veyron worth $2 million while dating a model. He even began attending parties that huge celebrities go to.

A year into investigating Cournoyer, the DEA caught him selling drugs and ended up finding out who his supplier was in Canada. It turned out the dealer started growing drugs when he was 18 and was in jail for it. Tiscione says that Cournoyer became “determined to never again be found in the compromising position of physically touching narcotics.” So he “began expanding his roster of associates and installing additional layers of subordinates between himself” and the marijuana.

He was extremely intense. When they got control of his phone, they saw texts suggesting that he had millions put away to murder anyone who tried to get in his way. Finally, after years of looking into Cournoyer, he was indicted on January 20, 2012. He tried to flee to Mexico but was caught by Mexican police. In the end, he was in jail. His lawyer claims that he was driven by one passion: money.