Following an over month long investigation, two Scottsburg men were arrested Monday, May 20, on a variety of charges including dealing marijuana, money laundering and corrupt business influence.
Charged were Jagdishkumar ‘Jack’ M Patel, 36, of 170 Washington Street and Sagarbhai ‘Sagar’ M. Patel, 31, of 111 S. First Street.
According to Scott County Sheriff’s Detective Donovan McCutcheon, a confidential informant told him in early April that marijuana was being sold at the Marathon station known as Scott’s Food Mart at 265 S. Gardner St.
Officers arranged for the confidential informant to make purchases of marijuana on three occasions at the store from the store worker Sagarbhai Patel. The last purchase was for two quarter ounce bags for $140, according to the probable cause affidavit.
According to the court document, Sagar told the informant that he could go to another store on US 31 (Gardner Street) by West Lake Road and buy marijuana from “the boss” ‘Jack’, Jagdishkumar Patel, at that location known as Country Boy Food Mart at 950 S. Gardner.
Det. McCutcheon took the confidential informant to the Country Boy Food Mart where ‘Jack’ recognized him from his previous purchases at Scott’s Food Mart.
At the Country Boy Food Mart the informant purchased 13 grams of marijuana from ‘Jack’.
According to McCutcheon, a check with the State Attorney General’s office revealed that both stores are owned by the same individuals.
ANSH County Boy Inc. at 950 S. Garner is incorporated by Jagdishkumar ‘Jack’ Patel as registered agent and Urmilaben K. Patel of Georgia as the company president.
Scott’s Food Mart at 265 S. Gardner is under the name Khodiyar Krupa Inc. with Urmilaben Patel as president and ‘Jack’ Patel as vice president.
Search warrants were obtained for the businesses and authorities served them around 1 p.m. May 20.
During the serving of the search warrant, McCutcheon reported that no marijuana was found at the stores. ‘Jack’ revealed that the pair had been made aware of police looking into them and possibly raiding their business so they got rid of it, according to the court document.
A total of $38,844 in cash was confiscated from both stores, according to the court document. McCutcheon reported during the logging in of evidence, five ten-dollar bills had serial numbers which aligned with the bills used during a controlled buy on May 17 at Country Boy Food Mart.
Both Patels were booked into Scott County Jail on felony charges of corrupt business influence (2 counts), dealing marijuana (3 counts), money laundering, maintaining common nuisance, obstruction of justice.
The pair bonded out of jail on Tuesday, May 28 after each paid a $6,500 cash bond.
After their arrest, on Friday, May 24, the Scott County Prosecutor’s office filed a motion in Scott Circuit Court for the Patels to forfeit the $38,844 cash that was taken as evidence since at least some of it was used in dealing drugs.