Found Deceased ND - Andrew Sadek, 20, Wahpeton, 1 May 2014 *alledged undercover drug informant*

[jggordo]

Good point! Did they initially claim him as an informant? I thought that was unveiled after they found him.

To my knowledge I do not believe SEMCA ever acknowledged they used him as an informant publicly. IIRC his mom pointed in that direction when she talked to the attorney general about investigating SEMCA. The warrants were issued after Andrew went missing and before he was found. To me there is something hinky about the whole thing.

JMO

 

[SyraKelly]

To my knowledge I do not believe SEMCA ever acknowledged they used him as an informant publicly. IIRC his mom pointed in that direction when she talked to the attorney general about investigating SEMCA. The warrants were issued after Andrew went missing and before he was found. To me there is something hinky about the whole thing.

JMO

I agree.
Its almost like they are in CYA mode.

 

[SyraKelly]

I don't think this has been posted yet.

Attorney General Calls for Review of SEMCA


http://www.valleynewslive.com/story/26758233/attorney-general-calls-for-review-of-semca

It was upthread by Minnesota-mom

 

[Bennett]

I understand that the warrants were filed after he went missing. However, is it possible that he knew these warrants or chargers were back in play again and he knew they were going to be an issue? If Andrew knew that those charges were about to be filed, it would cause stress and such, but would somebody really get suicidal over something like that? Selling a couple of grams of dope on a college campus, while not a great idea, I can't imagine the punishment being anything other than probation and getting kicked out of school. If it's like jggordo says and the police/DA rushed to file these charges AFTER Andrew went missing, then oh yes, this really does look bad for the task force.

You never know what can set someone to suicidal thoughts or what can trigger it, but I just can't see the situation being so bad that suicide was a possibility, if you know what I mean.

 

[jggordo]

I just don't see how it is plausible for a 20 year old to walk or go to the river, take everything out of his backpack. Then load it back up with rocks and wade into the water then shoot themselves in the head and get rid of the gun so nobody would find it. A lot of effort seems to have gone into not finding his body for a period of time and forensic evidence destroyed by decomposition in the water. Not that it is rational to commit suicide, but it's off the charts to me that one would shoot themselves in the middle of the river and toss the gun.

JMO

 

[Rocco]

I just don't see how it is plausible for a 20 year old to walk or go to the river, take everything out of his backpack. Then load it back up with rocks and wade into the water then shoot themselves in the head and get rid of the gun so nobody would find it. A lot of effort seems to have gone into not finding his body for a period of time and forensic evidence destroyed by decomposition in the water. Not that it is rational to commit suicide, but it's off the charts to me that one would shoot themselves in the middle of the river and toss the gun.

JMO

If he shot himself after entering the water, he wouldn't have tossed the gun---it would have fallen into the river with him. And since his body wasn't found for so long, I'm sure he had moved so the gun wouldn't be in the same location that he was found.

 

[Rocco]

I understand that the warrants were filed after he went missing. However, is it possible that he knew these warrants or chargers were back in play again and he knew they were going to be an issue? If Andrew knew that those charges were about to be filed, it would cause stress and such, but would somebody really get suicidal over something like that? Selling a couple of grams of dope on a college campus, while not a great idea, I can't imagine the punishment being anything other than probation and getting kicked out of school. If it's like jggordo says and the police/DA rushed to file these charges AFTER Andrew went missing, then oh yes, this really does look bad for the task force.

You never know what can set someone to suicidal thoughts or what can trigger it, but I just can't see the situation being so bad that suicide was a possibility, if you know what I mean.

Maybe when he went missing LE thought he took off so they issued a warrant for his arrest for the charges.

 

[prallypie]

Would you agree to become an informant to get out of/lessen the penalty of a misdemeanor charge (especially first offense) with a maximum penalty of 30days jail time and $1500 fine? I wouldn't.
However, I might consider that a 19 yo would agree to become an informant to lessen TWO class A Felony charges with maximum penalties of 20 year prison time and $20,000 fines for each infraction.

That's why I think pointing out the felony charges is relevant to the discussion. In all honesty, up until that was brought up, I couldn't figure out why he would have agreed to work with LE.

 

[BankingOnIt]

Would you agree to become an informant to get out of/lessen the penalty of a misdemeanor charge (especially first offense) with a maximum penalty of 30days jail time and $1500 fine? I wouldn't.
However, I might consider that a 19 yo would agree to become an informant to lessen TWO class A Felony charges with maximum penalties of 20 year prison time and $20,000 fines for each infraction.

That's why I think pointing out the felony charges is relevant to the discussion. In all honesty, up until that was brought up, I couldn't figure out why he would have agreed to work with LE.

I can understand bringing it up.

Ok so the people familiar with the laws are the SEMCA guys who set Andrew up for these felonies? Did they set him up to meet on campus knowing they would have more bargaining power? It's a bad practice all of the way around. I am glad it appears to be getting some attention.

 

[IBsleuthin]

News updated 10-24-2014

http://www.valleynewslive.com/story/26758233/attorney-general-calls-for-review-of-semca

 

[IBsleuthin]

I apologize ahead of time but I simply cannot find the news article I read this morning. IIRC it was on Valley News Live, an interview with Tammy Sadek.

At this point I'm going to move away from the subject of right and wrong as it pertains to Andrew's behavior and start looking at this case from a different angle.

Tammy states that SEMCA was pressuring other 'kids' in that area and telling them if they would confess to where Andrew was they would get their charges dropped or removed.

I've read on here and in MSM that the estimated value of his transactions was in the $80 range.

1). If this SEMCA knew where Andrew was, (ie; they killed him or had him arranging to meet with someone evil enough to kill him, they would know where he was and not be leveraging other 'kids' in that area to try to find him.

2). I HIGHLY, HIGHLY doubt that anyone selling $80 worth of weed is at a level to get in so deep that he's meeting with people who want to kill him. I'm not saying it doesn't happen but if we just look at the logistics of the thing, logically this just doesn't make sense. There are FAR bigger fish to fry in the St. Cloud and surrounding area than a 19 year old kid selling some weed.

3). If SEMCA pressured him into setting up a meeting with people dangerous enough to kill him, they wouldn't use a kid selling weed at this level. Not to catch big fish. Little bait catches little fish.

~On a side note, the level of pressure they may or may not have used is undetermined. Did they actually get him aside and really lay the pressure on him ? Or did they do like they do with EVERYONE and say, "Tell you what, we'll make this easy on you, tell us where you buy your weed and we will reduce your charges."


I could see setting him up to bust him on school grounds if he was a big player but since there is a poster on here stating in fact that Andrew was not selling drugs to make money, then by this testimony alone a person would have to conclude that AS was not a big enough player in all of this to warrant the type of pressure I've been reading about.

(and not for weed. If he was selling RX pills, meth or molly or something in that range? Yes I absolutely can see this but not for weed.)

 

[IBsleuthin]

P.S. I also read in one interview where she doesn't understand what significance finding the .22 handgun would provide.

Well, it would be a huge find.

They need to forget the divers. The Red River is a primarily silty bottom river with large boulders interspersed throughout.

The intelligent thing would be to get another .22 that was scrap from a gunsmith and toss it in the river where Andrew was found and watch how it behaves in that current. The idea that the gun fell in the water and is LYING THERE where it went in is beyond ridiculous.

That current can move tremendous amounts of objects. People seriously underestimate the power of the river. Also in the spring when the ice goes out on the river, the ice flow can easily move large boulders around on the floor of the river.

Someone with a metal detector needs to get on down there with the scrap .22 and estimate where that gun MAY actually be and start in with that metal detector. Divers aren't going to find it.

 

[Rocco]

P.S. I also read in one interview where she doesn't understand what significance finding the .22 handgun would provide.

Well, it would be a huge find.

They need to forget the divers. The Red River is a primarily silty bottom river with large boulders interspersed throughout.

The intelligent thing would be to get another .22 that was scrap from a gunsmith and toss it in the river where Andrew was found and watch how it behaves in that current. The idea that the gun fell in the water and is LYING THERE where it went in is beyond ridiculous.

That current can move tremendous amounts of objects. People seriously underestimate the power of the river. Also in the spring when the ice goes out on the river, the ice flow can easily move large boulders around on the floor of the river.

Someone with a metal detector needs to get on down there with the scrap .22 and estimate where that gun MAY actually be and start in with that metal detector. Divers aren't going to find it.

But he was in the water for weeks so where he was found is not where he went in due to, as you mentioned, the strong currents. And unless you know where he went in, you have no basis to track the movement of the gun.

 

[IBsleuthin]

But he was in the water for weeks so where he was found is not where he went in due to, as you mentioned, the strong currents. And unless you know where he went in, you have no basis to track the movement of the gun.

Good point actually.

 

[IBsleuthin]

Maybe when he went missing LE thought he took off so they issued a warrant for his arrest for the charges.

Quite frankly, from the very statement his own mother made, SEMCA was leveraging the local, 'kids' to get them to tell LE where they thought Andrew was. Issuing an arrest warrant sounds like a logical step if you think someone has run off.

 

[CantNotCare]

I apologize ahead of time but I simply cannot find the news article I read this morning. IIRC it was on Valley News Live, an interview with Tammy Sadek.

At this point I'm going to move away from the subject of right and wrong as it pertains to Andrew's behavior and start looking at this case from a different angle.

Tammy states that SEMCA was pressuring other 'kids' in that area and telling them if they would confess to where Andrew was they would get their charges dropped or removed.

I've read on here and in MSM that the estimated value of his transactions was in the $80 range.

1). If this SEMCA knew where Andrew was, (ie; they killed him or had him arranging to meet with someone evil enough to kill him, they would know where he was and not be leveraging other 'kids' in that area to try to find him.

2). I HIGHLY, HIGHLY doubt that anyone selling $80 worth of weed is at a level to get in so deep that he's meeting with people who want to kill him. I'm not saying it doesn't happen but if we just look at the logistics of the thing, logically this just doesn't make sense. There are FAR bigger fish to fry in the St. Cloud and surrounding area than a 19 year old kid selling some weed.

3). If SEMCA pressured him into setting up a meeting with people dangerous enough to kill him, they wouldn't use a kid selling weed at this level. Not to catch big fish. Little bait catches little fish.

~On a side note, the level of pressure they may or may not have used is undetermined. Did they actually get him aside and really lay the pressure on him ? Or did they do like they do with EVERYONE and say, "Tell you what, we'll make this easy on you, tell us where you buy your weed and we will reduce your charges."


I could see setting him up to bust him on school grounds if he was a big player but since there is a poster on here stating in fact that Andrew was not selling drugs to make money, then by this testimony alone a person would have to conclude that AS was not a big enough player in all of this to warrant the type of pressure I've been reading about.

(and not for weed. If he was selling RX pills, meth or molly or something in that range? Yes I absolutely can see this but not for weed.)

I have to respectfully disagree with several points here, and they are:

1.) It wouldn't require SEMCA arranging him to meet someone evil enough. All it can take is for word to get out to the drug community that someone is a "narc", and paranoia can ensue, and rumors can grow. Small fish can spread this to middle fish and on to big fish. Big pot dealers are interested in protecting their assets and livelihood just as much as big meth dealers. If SEMCA knew where he was, they would not need to "leverage" other kids, and I find this whole tactic sketchy.

2.)Statistically, big fish aren't the majority of who is being fried, or drugs would be becoming less instead of more abundant/widespread, and prisons wouldn't be primarily full of small fish with no money for attorneys other than court appointed.

3)I have seen little fish used to catch big fish, and it works like this...this little guy looks like no threat/unassuming and he can slowly infiltrate and learn more and more as he goes. Side note: Why in the world would they have bothered to charge two felonies, over 20 years in prison, and $20,000 fines for $80 of pot, and "sit" on it? If it was as simple as him giving them one name, and getting out of that predicament and not dragging it on, I would guess he'd have caved on that one, before committing suicide.

4)Why won't they simply release his laptop to this poor family whom they are saying committed suicide? If that's the case, why?

 

[IBsleuthin]

I've been giving this case a lot of thought and I'm wondering if anyone knows WHO exactly is the head of SEMCA?

 

[CantNotCare]

I've been giving this case a lot of thought and I'm wondering if anyone knows WHO exactly is the head of SEMCA?

Sounds to me like they get to run like a privately owned entity, and only things like this "might" cause a "review", and nobody knows and its not the public's business according to them.

 

[CantNotCare]

Sounds to me like they get to run like a privately owned entity, and only things like this "might" cause a "review", and nobody knows and its not the public's business according to them.

They appear fully protected and anonymous, while the lil guys they "leverage" are not at all, they are put out there to do the dirty work. That's blackmail.

 

[IBsleuthin]

That's a good point actually, if it's a simple suicide as they claim, why not release the laptop. Historically, whenever there is an autonomous entity weilding life altering power like this, there is corruption. I would NOT want the job in nacotics, their job is extremely stressful and dangerous, however; in an area known to me, the narc force has become a monster. Don't know if that's the case here, I posted a link up there that states at least there will be an outside review. I'm also wondering how legal this SEMCA is. The Freedom of Information Act provides that a lot of this information should be public knowledge and withholding WHO runs the place and denying that information on request could be illegal on a federal level. Asidewe from Andrew's case, THAT autonomy has s really caught my attention.