Men Rescued From Sailboat Can’t Bail Out On Pot Charge

Three men, rescued and then arrested when their sailboat burned and sank off Neah Bay amid scores of floating bales of marijuana, were ordered held without bail Friday, pending their federal trial.

U.S. Magistrate John Weinberg set a Feb. 9 trial date for John Benjamin Ricker, about 30, of Exeter, N.H.; Jim Garborcauskas, 43, of Newport, R.I.; and Indonesian national Amir Humanta Llumban Tobing, 48. Until then, they will be held at the federal detention facility in south suburban SeaTac.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly will preside at their trial.

The men, plucked from the Pacific on Monday, were charged Tuesday with with attempted importation of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

On Friday, they were also charged with conspiracy to import marijuana into the United States, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Bonnie MacNaughton.

Garborcauskas was also charged with arson and with destruction of property to prevent seizure, she said.

The three drug charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment, MacNaughton said.