Feds: Elderly Man 'Experienced Drug Mule'
CHELSEA (WWJ/AP) - An 87-year-old northern Indiana man caught in Michigan last year with more than 200 pounds of cocaine has been hit with new charges that describe him as a very experienced drug mule for a Mexican cartel.
A federal indictment filed this week says Leo Sharp was responsible for transporting more than 1,400 pounds of cocaine to Michigan in 2009-2011.
The Michigan City, Ind., man pulled over for improper lane in October on Interstate 94 near Chelsea, 60 miles west of Detroit. That's when police found over a hundred brick-shaped objects which tested positive for cocaine.
The indictment names Sharp and 17 others. Attorney Darryl Goldberg of Chicago said he will aggressively defend Sharp and likely challenge the traffic stop that led to his arrest.
Goldberg said a conviction would mean death in prison for the elderly man. Sharp said he was forced at gunpoint to deliver the cocaine.
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