| Alleged
smuggler appears a few bricks short a load
by
Pat Grubb
An alleged drug smuggler was arrested September 15 after
he hid his illicit haul only too well.
Leroy Carr, 46, of
Federal Way was arrested September 15 near the Canadian border
and charged with Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute.
According to Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo, Carr had
contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers
at the border on August 7 and told them he had hidden 31
kilograms of cocaine in two backbacks near the border. ICE
agents were told he stashed the drugs in the bush near the
entrance to the Boy Scout camp at Silver Lake. Carr requested
they issue a press release announcing the seizure of the
drugs, saying he wanted to avoid retaliation from the organized
crime group with whom he works.
Two weeks later on August
21, an employee of the camp discovered the two backpacks
in a ditch near the entrance to the camp. After finding what
appeared to be cocaine inside the packs, the employee notified
the sheriff’s office.
The following day ICE agents contacted
the Northwest Regional Drug Task Force in regards to a
possible suspect in regards to the newly discovered haul.
Carr had previously been contacted seven times near the border
since December 2006. On these occasions, Carr had been found
with night goggles, handheld GPS unit, backpacks and various
amounts of U.S. currency below the $10,000 limit. Following
discovery of the cocaine, estimated to have a street value
of $1.24 million, Carr refused to have anything to do with
authorities. His reluctance came to an end early Saturday
morning, September 15 after he was arrested 100 yards south
of the Sumas border station.
If convicted, Carr faces a minimum
sentence of 10 years to life in prison. |
