ARLINGTON – The Stillaguamish tribal member who manages the Blue Stilly Smoke Shop said Wednesday that he’s done nothing wrong.
That’s why he was surprised when armed federal agents pounded on his door Tuesday morning and ordered him and his family outside while they searched the home for evidence of illegal cigarette sales.
“They thought this place was full of cigarettes, and they found none,” Dean Goodridge, 28, said. “There was no reason for this.”
Dean Goodridge runs the Blue Stilly Smoke Shop, which is owned by his father and his older brother, Eddie Goodridge Jr., executive of the Stillaguamish Indian Tribe.
When agents burst into Dean Goodridge’s home, another group was raiding the smoke shop as part of an investigation into the alleged sale of untaxed cigarettes.
Dean Goodridge lives in an apartment attached to a garage near his father’s home on 172nd Street in Arlington. Ed Goodridge Sr. is a former Stillaguamish tribal chairman and current manager of the tribes’ Angel of the Winds Casino. He co-owns the smoke shop.
The home of Ed Goodridge Sr. also was raided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
A total of seven search warrants were served Tuesday in Washington and Oregon as part of “Operation Chainsmoker.”
Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Seattle, confirmed Ed Goodridge Sr.’s home was searched but said she could not discuss whether any other homes were searched.
Eddie Goodridge Jr. refused to comment on the raids.
Dean Goodridge said he didn’t know whether his brother’s home also was raided on Tuesday.
The Blue Stilly Smoke Shop is on tribal land, but it’s a private business owned by Goodridge family members, Stillaguamish tribal Chairman Shawn Yannity said.
Tribal leaders were waiting to speak with attorneys before publicly discussing the raids, he said Wednesday.
The smoke shop was open Wednesday morning, but a handwritten sign posted on the door warned “No Cigarettes.” A list of products for sale included Copenhagen smokeless tobacco and Red Bull energy drink.
Federal agents “didn’t say we couldn’t sell cigarettes, but because they took all the cigarettes we had, we don’t have any to sell,” Dean Goodridge said.
Cigarettes sales at the smoke shop are legal because they are regulated and taxed by the tribe, Dean Goodridge said.
He said he was asleep early Tuesday when armed federal agents pounded on the door of his apartment, which is attached to a garage on the property. He said they ordered him and his girlfriend, who was holding the couple’s infant daughter, outside. Dean Goodridge said his 4-year-old son also was ordered outside.
Once outside, Dean Goodridge saw that his father, Ed Goodridge Sr., had been ordered out of the main home.
He doesn’t know how the agents got through the electronic gate that blocks the property’s looping driveway.
Dean Goodridge said there were about 15 agents, some armed with assault rifles. They tore through the homes and garages, he said, dumping out boxes, clearing shelves, even searching through couch cushions.
“I think they were worried about this house, because of the shop,” Dean Goodridge said, pointing toward garages that protect a fleet of sports and vintage cars.
Several cars, including a 1970 Chevelle LS6, were scratched during the raid, he said.
Agents found no cigarettes on the property, he said.
“We don’t ever bring cigarettes home,” Dean Goodridge said. “No one in my family even smokes.”
Instead, agents took documents, including old tax forms and Stillaguamish tribal papers, he said.
Agents also took a computer used primarily by his children to play games, Dean Goodridge said.
He said the cigarettes sold at the smoke shop bear a Stillaguamish Indian Tribe stamp. All taxes are paid to the tribe, he said.
The tribe does not have a compact with Washington state that covers cigarette sales.
Even so, the shop has long been a destination for smokers looking for a deal on cigarettes.
Valarie McKinsey of Everett eagerly drives 20 miles north to the Blue Stilly Smoke Shop nearly once a week to purchase a carton of Marlboro Red 100 cigarettes. She pays $39 at the smoke shop – $10 less than other discount retailers and $25 less than grocery stores, she said.
“I smoke a pack a day,” she said. “This is the only place I buy.”
McKinsey, like a steady stream of other smokers, was angry to see the shop’s handwritten “No Cigarettes” sign.
“This is tribal land,” she said. “This tribe should be able to do what it wants.”
Federal officials said the raids were part of an ongoing investigation to ensure fair markets for cigarette sales.
The Blue Stilly Smoke Shop was raided in 2001, when it was run by Tulalip Tribal member Stormmy Paul. The Goodridge family took over the shop in 2003. Since then, Paul has pleaded guilty to a federal charge involving illegal trafficking in untaxed cigarettes and is awaiting sentencing.
The Goodridge family hasn’t had any ties with Paul since 2003, Dean Goodridge said.
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
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