Report: Patriots' Kaczur had 202 pills when he was arrested .... THEN BECAME A RAT !!

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When New England Patriots offensive lineman Nick Kaczur was arrested in upstate New York in April, he had 202 OxyContin pills labeled as being made in Canada, according to police reports, The Boston Globe reported.



Kaczur was arrested in New York on April 27 after police said a small amount of OxyContin was found in his truck following a traffic stop. Kaczur then helped federal authorities arrest the man who was allegedly supplying him with the drug, according to the alleged dealer's attorney.





Kaczur

Next week, Kaczur is scheduled to be arraigned in Whitestown, N.Y., town court on a charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a misdemeanor. OxyContin, a powerful and potentially addictive ************ painkiller, is also sold as a street drug as its effects mirror those of heroin.



According to police reports, Kaczur, who was returning from his hometown of Brantford, Ontario, had the pills in his pocket when he was pulled over on April 27 on the New York State Thruway in Whitestown, just west of Utica.



A spokesman for the company that makes the pills and a drug industry specialist said the pills, each marked CDN on one side, were made in Canada and imprinted to help prevent cross-border smuggling of OxyContin, according to The Globe.



The attorney for the suspected drug dealer, Daniel Ekasala, said his client was not the source of the pills police found in Kaczur's truck. Ekasala, who allegedly sold OxyContin to Kaczur three times while Kaxzur was a cooperating witness for federal officials, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute.



Ekasala's attorney, Bernard Grossberg, disputed Kaczur's assertion that Ekasala sold him pills marked CDN, according to the report.




"Those are Canadian pills, and Ekasala is not the source of those pills," Grossberg said, according to The Globe. "It just begins to raise questions about Kaczur's credibility."



Kaczur's attorney, Steven J. Comen, declined to comment on the report. "Out of respect for the ongoing legal process, we cannot comment at this time," he said, according to The Globe.



Friday, Patriots spokesman Stacey James said "I will confirm that he is still on the team, but we are not providing additional comment," the newspaper reported.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Patriots lineman Kaczur cooperates with DEA following arrest


New England Patriots offensive lineman Nick Kaczur was arrested in April for illegal possession of the powerful painkiller oxycodone and cooperated with federal agents in a sting of his alleged supplier, an attorney said.




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According to Bernard Grossberg, the attorney for alleged dealer Daniel Ekasala, Kaczur wore a wire to help agents build the case against Ekasala.

The Boston Globe, citing Grossberg, a federal affidavit and two sources who had been briefed on the investigation, first reported the story.

A Drug Enforcement Administration agent said in an affadavit that a cooperating witness -- whose name was not revealed -- wore a recording device during three drug buys in May in southeastern Massachusetts. In each of the deals, the witness bought 100 OxyContin pills from Ekasala for $3,900 in cash, the agent wrote.


[+] EnlargePaul Spinelli/Getty Images

Nick Kaczur (No. 77) reportedly told the U.S. DEA he had purchased hundreds of oxycodone pills weekly from an alleged supplier and wore a wire in three buys of the ************ painkiller.

Grossberg said Kaczur, 28, told investigators he had been purchasing hundreds of oxycodone pills from the man since November 2007, according to the report.



Ekasala, 34, was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on three counts of possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute. He remains free on an unsecured bond of $10,000 after pleading not guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to three counts of possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute.



On Tuesday, Kaczur denied taking part in a federal investigation or buying drugs and said he was not familiar with Ekasala, the Globe reported.



"I don't know what you're talking about, bro," Kaczur said on the front porch of his Attleboro, Mass., home, according to the Globe. "I don't know where this is coming from. I don't know what you are talking about."



According to a six-page affidavit filed by the DEA agent, the unnamed cooperating witness -- a buyer who was reaching out to the alleged dealer by text message -- met with the dealer to exchange cash for drugs.



Grossberg and two other people briefed on the investigation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Kaczur was the cooperating witness in the case.



New York State Police said Kaczur was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a misdemeanor, following an April 27 traffic stop on the New York State Thruway.



Kaczur had been pulled over for speeding in Whitestown, N.Y., when police discovered a "small amount of controlled substance for which he did not have a ************," a substance identified as oxycodone, N.Y. State Police Sgt. Kern Swoboda said.



Swoboda did not know the current status of Kaczur's case in New York.



Patriots spokesman Stacey James declined to comment on Kaczur, according to the report. "We're deferring all questions on this matter to the appropriate law enforcement officials," he said.



Kaczur's agent, Vance Malinovic, said he was not prepared to comment on the case, according to The Globe.



NFL spokesman Greg Aiello also declined to speak directly to the case, according to the report. "It's a law enforcement matter, and any questions should be directed to the appropriate law enforcement agencies," he said.



The NFL does not test for oxycodone but does prohibit the misuse of ************ drugs.



Grossberg said Ekasala, an unemployed construction worker and father of 2-year-old twins, has also been asked by federal agents to cooperate, but has repeatedly refused. He said Ekasala was "an extremely reluctant participant and was somewhat enamored of being friendly with or having contact with a professional athlete," according to the report.



"My client was always sympathetic to Mr. Kaczur and suggested to him many times, as the text messages will show, that Kaczur ought not to be doing what he was doing," Grossberg said, according to the newspaper. "Professional athletes in this country are treated like royalty, and royalty sometimes abuses the people they come in contact with, and I think that's what happened to Ekasala."



But assistant U.S. Attorney Brian T. Kelly, while declining to comment on the investigation or Kaczur's role as a cooperating witness, said he didn't buy Grossberg's explanation of how Ekasala came to become a drug supplier.



"The crazy fan defense doesn't seem real plausible, but it will be up to a jury to decide," Kelly said, according to the report.



Kaczur, 6 feet 4 and 315 pounds, started 15 games last year at right tackle, protecting New England star quarterback Tom Brady during the Patriots' undefeated regular season. Originally from Brantford, Ontario, Kazcur was drafted by the Patriots in 2005 after playing four years at Toledo, where he was the first player in school history to make the All-Mid American Conference team in four seasons.



Kaczur, who has started 35 games for the Patriots over three seasons, missed the team's final regular season game Dec. 29 with a foot injury. He also was out for several games early in the 2006 season because of a shoulder injury.

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Pats lineman pleads guilty to speeding; drug charge put on hold


WHITESTOWN, N.Y. -- New England Patriots offensive lineman Nick Kaczur pleaded guilty Tuesday to speeding in a deal with prosecutors that will put a misdemeanor drug possession charge on hold.




Kaczur

The 28-year-old Kaczur was ordered to pay $355 in fines and fees by Whitestown Town Justice Stanley Wolanin, who said the drug possession charge will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble for the next six months.

The plea deal also requires Kaczur to comply with any type of treatment, monitoring or employee assistance program imposed by the Patriots, Oneida County Assistant District Attorney Grant Garramone said.

"We are pleased with this disposition," said Louis Viviani, a Syracuse lawyer who represented Kaczur at Tuesday's 10-minute proceeding.

Viviani said Kaczur is ready to go to Patriots camp on Wednesday.

Kaczur, who was accompanied by his wife, had no comment.

Patriots spokesman Stacey James said the team had no comment.

Kaczur was originally charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. He was also charged with going 76 mph in a 65 mph zone.

According to police reports, Kaczur had 202 OxyContin pills labeled as made in Canada when he was pulled over April 27 by state troopers near Utica.

Kaczur was returning from his hometown of Brantford, Ontario, when he was stopped.

According to published reports, Kaczur has helped federal authorities arrest the man accused of supplying him with the drug, Daniel Ekasala. Kaczur reportedly told federal drug agents he bought hundreds of oxycodone pills weekly from Ekasala starting in November 2007.

Ekasala's attorney has said his client was not the source of the pills police found in Kaczur's truck. Ekasala has pleaded not guilty to three counts of possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute, said his attorney, Bernard Grossberg.

Kaczur was drafted by the Patriots in 2005 after playing four years at Toledo, where he was the first player in school history to make the All-Mid American Conference team in four seasons. He has started 35 games for the Patriots over three seasons.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press