UNICOI – A Johnson City man thought he would pull a fast one on a drug dealer Tuesday by slipping him some funny money in return for OxyContin pills.

But the Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department had the last laugh because one of its officers was the dealer and sold fake pills to Kyle A. Kochelek, 21, 1548 Colony Park Drive. The buyer’s day got worse when he was arrested and the Johnson City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division helped Unicoi County authorities track down the device on which the counterfeit money reportedly was made.

“Information came that these guys had been spending counterfeit money,” Harris said of Kochelek and a man with him who was not charged. “He had been spending counterfeit money at locations, and also one person told us that he was spending counterfeit money on drug transactions.”

Unicoi County Investigator Frank Rogers said an undercover officer met with many people at a mobile home park in Unicoi and recorded a conversation about the trafficking of drugs, such as OxyContin and cocaine, with at least two other men.

The man arranged for Kochelek and another man to come to Unicoi to buy 76 OxyContin pills for $4,875.

When Kochelek and the man arrived, Kochelek gave the third party four bundles of money, which were fake, wrapped in legitimate $1 bills. The third party, who received placebo pills, which had no narcotic value, from the undercover officer, then passed them on to Kochelek. Rogers said the third party will be charged when he finds him.

“We were really interested in the money more than anything,” Harris said, noting Kochelek had used legitimate $1 bills, a $100 bill and a $20 bill used to make counterfeit cash. While the dollar bills were wrapped around the fake bills, Kochelek had a legitimate $100 bill and a real $20 bill on him.

With help from Johnson City officers, Unicoi County officers got the items used to make the fake money from the apartment of Kochelek’s girlfriend. Rogers said no charges have been placed against her yet.

“The money he spent with us was some of the worst money I’d ever seen,” Harris said. “In fact, some of its was just printed on one side. There were a few bills that were decent, but most of it was obviously bad money. This stuff was about the worst I’ve ever seen. Monopoly money would have looked better.”

Harris said this is the second arrest the sheriff’s department has made in the last couple of months involving the use of fake money in drug transactions.

After the deal, Kochelek and the other man got away but were stopped on Sciota Road by Deputy Adam Campbell, Rogers said. He said Kochelek had the pill bottle investigators had marked. Inside was one of the pills he had bought, but the rest had been tossed from the vehicle as they fled.

Rogers said Kochelek got away because the undercover officer was outnumbered four to one, but other officers were stationed nearby so they could pursue the suspects.

Kochelek was charged with criminal conspiracy with schedule II drugs, forgery and criminal simulation.

Rogers said the case is still under investigation and charges are pending on other suspects who were at the scene and involved in the conspiracy.

Source

Originally posted 2009-02-27 14:49:13.

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