Via Garibaldi 8 Posted April 24, 2014 Share #1 Posted April 24, 2014 On-duty MTA bus driver busted for heroin trafficking after smuggler meets him along his route with $3 million worth of dope: court papers Francis Abankwa arranged the meeting with the smuggler, Boubacar Traore, aboard his Bx2 bus route in the Bronx on April 17, according to a Brooklyn Federal Court Criminal complaint.BY PETE DONOHUE , JOHN MARZULLI NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Published: Thursday, April 24, 2014, 10:41 AM Updated: Thursday, April 24, 2014, 11:22 AM SHARE THIS URL JAMES KEIVOM/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Francis Abankwa allegedly picked up the heroin smuggler while driving the Bx2 bus on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. All aboard the heroin express in the Bronx. An on-duty city bus driver was busted after picking up a heroin smuggler carrying $3 million worth of dope from Africa on his Bx2 bus route in a pre-arranged rendezvous on the Grand Concourse, the Daily News has learned. The driver, Francis Abankwa, was nabbed by federal agents after the last passenger got off his bus and he and the smuggler finished the journey at the Kingsbridge Depot in Inwood, according to court papers. Abankwa did not know that the smuggler, Boubacar Traore, had been caught with heroin in his luggage earlier in the day at Kennedy Airport and had agreed to cooperate with Homeland Security agents, according to court papers. The shocking tale that would have Ralph Kramden bellowing, “You are a blabbermouth!” began around 11 a.m. April 17 when Traore arrived in the city on a British Airways flight from London that originated in Tanzania, according to court papers. U.S. BORDER & CUSTOMSBoubacar Traore allegedly smuggled 3.5 kilos of heroin in this burgundy Samsonite roller bag. Customs and Border Protection officers spotted an unclaimed Samsonite roller bag in the baggage carousel and traced the ticket to Traore, a father of seven who operates a grocery shop in Ghana. While Traore sputtered that he had forgotten to pick up the bag, officers probed the side of the bag and found it was loaded with heroin, the court papers allege. Traore flipped like a cheap suit and agreed to carry out the delivery under the supervision of federal agents, according to the papers. Calling a cell phone number he had been provided by a drug trafficker in Ghana, Traore spoke to Abankwa who allegedly set up a meeting at a bus stop on the Grand Concourse and East Tremont Ave. U.S. CUSTOMS & BORDERU.S. Customs and Border Protection officers spotted the unclaimed bag at Kennedy Airport and questioned Traore. Traore was waiting when Abankwa rolled up in his city bus. “While on the bus, Traore and Abankwa…discussed in sum and substance narcotics trafficking," according to the complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court. Traore rode the bus all the way to the depot with Abankwa where they were both arrested. Federal prosecutors agreed to Traore’s release on $100,000 bail. Abankwa, 50, remains held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. He faces at least 10 years in prison if convicted. JAMES KEIVOM/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSBoth men were arrested at the Kingsbridge Depot in Inwood. Abankwa has worked for the MTA for eight years and earned $102,000 in 2012, including overtime. Neighbors at his Bronx apartment building said Abankwa lives alone and his wife and children are in Africa. One of Abankwa’s co-workers said he was surprised by the charges. “He’s always been a respectful person. Pleasant. He was friendly with everyone.” With Edgar Sandoval Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/on-duty-mta-bus-driver-busted-heroin-trafficking-article-1.1767383#ixzz2zq89J3Nu LOL... No wonder some B/O's were so up in arms about BusTime and BusTrek... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QM1to6Ave Posted April 24, 2014 Share #2 Posted April 24, 2014 Maybe this B/O is friends with the C/R who showed up in uniform to have sex with an underage girl and was caught in a sting lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted April 24, 2014 Maybe this B/O is friends with the C/R who showed up in uniform to have sex with an underage girl and was caught in a sting lol. It's just amazing that this guy would risk a good paying job for nonsense like this, but then again, some of these guys don't think. I've personally heard of countless B/O's being fired for complete nonsense. I personally believe that the requirements to become a B/O should be raised. Just having to take a test and pass should not be enough. They should be required to have a BA at the bare minimum and also undergo a training about being professional on the job. Some of them lack people skills, yet they take a job that requires that, so then why take the job?? There are other jobs that pay well that don't necessarily require you to deal with the public. Take a job as a truck driver... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacemak3r Posted April 24, 2014 Share #4 Posted April 24, 2014 Just like how we got crooked cops even with associated degrees? Not surprised at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aemoreira81 Posted April 25, 2014 Share #5 Posted April 25, 2014 What a guy! A later revision by the Daily News notes that Abankwa "was already facing legal problems — in February he was charged with fraudulently collecting Medicaid benefits for his wife and child" Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/on-duty-mta-bus-driver-busted-heroin-trafficking-article-1.1767383#ixzz2zrmUblxH That case and this one really should be merged into one mega-case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missabassie Posted April 25, 2014 Share #6 Posted April 25, 2014 This isn't the first time... Quite a few years ago, an express bus op got busted for something similar. I think it was on the X63...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QM1to6Ave Posted April 25, 2014 Share #7 Posted April 25, 2014 This B/O must be pretty talented to be able to earn over 100K from the MTA on top of running a drug ring. Such a waste of talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share #8 Posted April 25, 2014 This isn't the first time... Quite a few years ago, an express bus op got busted for something similar. I think it was on the X63...? I just don't get it. You're making a 100k a year and you have to resort to pushing heroin to make ends meet? To me, it's just a prime example of how some of these guys mismanage their money. Some of them have women on the side that they have to give money to in addition to the wife at home and then you have some that like to live the flashy life and drive the expensive car when they're living paycheck to paycheck. The priorities are just totally out of whack. If you can't live off of 100k even in New York City, you need your head examined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biGC323232 Posted April 25, 2014 Share #9 Posted April 25, 2014 3 Million in dope...WOOOOOW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aemoreira81 Posted April 26, 2014 Share #10 Posted April 26, 2014 This isn't the first time... Quite a few years ago, an express bus op got busted for something similar. I think it was on the X63...? I can top that. Last year, a driver on the B11 murdered someone before he went to work. Cops located him and arrested him after he completed a trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B35 via Church Posted April 26, 2014 Share #11 Posted April 26, 2014 I just don't get it. You're making a 100k a year and you have to resort to pushing heroin to make ends meet? To me, it's just a prime example of how some of these guys mismanage their money. Some of them have women on the side that they have to give money to in addition to the wife at home and then you have some that like to live the flashy life and drive the expensive car when they're living paycheck to paycheck. The priorities are just totally out of whack. If you can't live off of 100k even in New York City, you need your head examined. It's one thing to argue doing stupid shit having a good paying job; it's quite another to argue these guys making 100k..... I mean, hold the phone here.... You're painting this picture that because these b/o's are making 100k or whatever (I'll get to that in a second), they must live some type of high-class lifestyle.... Take off the rose tinted glasses; I mean hell - there was one b/o that came on here sometime last year IIRC & laid claim that a large percentage of MTA workers were high school dropouts & what not (I don't remember the guy's name on here, but he aint stay too long).... You alluded to it yourself, there's little to no requisite (outside of the obvious; having a license, etc.) before taking that test..... Anyway, You have city workers making as much as they do (and I'd venture to say too many of them) taking their jobs for granted, nothing more (which isn't limited to city workers, but since that's the focal point here, I'm singling them out for the time being).... I mean, you don't push weight when you have a 9 to 5 paying 100k (again, using the number you threw out there) to make ends meet, you do that shit for greed.... Whether it's to pay for pu**y, the expensive ride, or whatever the f***.... Someone pushing weight to pay bills isn't all that likely; that's money that often goes toward anything but.... ....and how many of these b/o's do you think are making 6 figures anyway? Have you tell it, someone oblivious would believe b/o's in this city all live in well off communities or something.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N6 Limited Posted April 26, 2014 Share #12 Posted April 26, 2014 Well living in NYC is expensive , he made over 100k with overtime so clearly he generally makes less than that. So he had to pay for his rent and everything and he probably sent the rest to his wife and kids? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B35 via Church Posted April 26, 2014 Share #13 Posted April 26, 2014 Well living in NYC is expensive , he made over 100k with overtime so clearly he generally makes less than that. So he had to pay for his rent and everything and he probably sent the rest to his wife and kids?...and I'm saying for years on these transit forums, it's generally put out there like it's base pay, and I don't know where that assumption comes from.... City workers can make good money, but have some ppl. tell it, they're ballin out of control (so to speak) working for the MTA..... The putting in for these jobs would resemble even more of a lottery.... Not saying it's not possible; with OT (which is almost never mentioned), it's definitely doable.... Onto the larger issue, Someone puttin in OT & then resorting to drug trafficking isn't someone I'm inclined to believe that's financially struggling... It's someone to me that knows he's making good money w/ his daytime job, including OT if it's available (and can live decently on it alone [don't want to say comfortably exactly]), and doesn't want to use the money he's earning with his daytime job for whatever extravagances he desires.... This is regardless of whether he lives in NYC or some well off suburban area..... As for sending "the rest" to his wife & kids, of course he's gonna have expenses, but are we talkin about the money he makes (well made) while being a b/o, or the money he got from drug trafficking? Because I'm questioning this notion about being so hard up on money that he had to resort to illegal activity..... Working OT for the reason of being hard up on money, makes far more sense..... That's what I'm getting at. What a guy! A later revision by the Daily News notes that Abankwa "was already facing legal problems — in February he was charged with fraudulently collecting Medicaid benefits for his wife and child" Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/on-duty-mta-bus-driver-busted-heroin-trafficking-article-1.1767383#ixzz2zrmUblxH That case and this one really should be merged into one mega-case. Now it makes sense.... There's no financial hardship, this son of a bitch is one greedy piece of shit.... I knew it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share #14 Posted April 27, 2014 It's one thing to argue doing stupid shit having a good paying job; it's quite another to argue these guys making 100k..... I mean, hold the phone here.... You're painting this picture that because these b/o's are making 100k or whatever (I'll get to that in a second), they must live some type of high-class lifestyle.... Take off the rose tinted glasses; I mean hell - there was one b/o that came on here sometime last year IIRC & laid claim that a large percentage of MTA workers were high school dropouts & what not (I don't remember the guy's name on here, but he aint stay too long).... You alluded to it yourself, there's little to no requisite (outside of the obvious; having a license, etc.) before taking that test..... Anyway, You have city workers making as much as they do (and I'd venture to say too many of them) taking their jobs for granted, nothing more (which isn't limited to city workers, but since that's the focal point here, I'm singling them out for the time being).... I mean, you don't push weight when you have a 9 to 5 paying 100k (again, using the number you threw out there) to make ends meet, you do that shit for greed.... Whether it's to pay for pu**y, the expensive ride, or whatever the f***.... Someone pushing weight to pay bills isn't all that likely; that's money that often goes toward anything but.... ....and how many of these b/o's do you think are making 6 figures anyway? Have you tell it, someone oblivious would believe b/o's in this city all live in well off communities or something.... Let me clarify a few things... First, I didn't mean to imply that all B/O's make 100,000 a year because many don't. Heck the ones with any decent seniority tend to make around 70 - 80k a year, that's with OT included. I should know this because my uncle is a B/O and he's got a lot of seniority (20+ years) and does a lot of OT. I thought it was obvious that all of them don't make that when I talked about how some of them try to live on the high horse... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingoat Posted April 27, 2014 Share #15 Posted April 27, 2014 I just don't get it. You're making a 100k a year and you have to resort to pushing heroin to make ends meet? To me, it's just a prime example of how some of these guys mismanage their money. Some of them have women on the side that they have to give money to in addition to the wife at home and then you have some that like to live the flashy life and drive the expensive car when they're living paycheck to paycheck. The priorities are just totally out of whack. If you can't live off of 100k even in New York City, you need your head examined. Its very simple, greed. It isn't 100K job as he could be making 250K and would still do it. Its what he sees where he lives, what he grew up with. Look in many neighborhoods the only ones with money are the dealers and the TV ads say buy a Beamer or some other crap. Being a cop for 30 years taught me and it was taught at the Academy, the three B's, well today it would be 3B's and a D mess you up. Bribes, Broads, Booze and Drugs. You presently have a progressive bias towards drugs where condemnation by the government is not strong and he figured what do I have to lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaBeMTA12 Posted May 10, 2014 Share #16 Posted May 10, 2014 I am a b/o and I don't come close to 100k a year. I'm lucky if I'll hit 60k But after all, I'm not at top pay. TA makes up for it in my benefits thou, which I use religiously to keep up. (Especially dental, I'm very particular about my teeth) Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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