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[Southsider2k12]

http://www.indystar.com/article/20111025/N...t%7CFRONTPAGE33

DETROIT -- An 87-year-old Indiana man arrested with 104 bricks of cocaine in his pickup truck told a judge Monday that he was forced at gunpoint to carry the load.

During a boisterous appearance in court, Leo Sharp had trouble keeping quiet, even after he was warned that anything he said could be used against him. There were grins and occasional laughter from lawyers, spectators and U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Randon.

Federal prosecutors wanted to keep Sharp locked up, but the Michigan City, Ind., man was released on bond three days after he was stopped for improper lane use while driving alone on I-94 near Chelsea, 60 miles west of Detroit.

With the help of a drug-sniffing dog, state troopers discovered 104 brick-sized packages of cocaine Friday, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

"You're dealing with a man forced to do what I did by gunpoint," Sharp told the judge.

A criminal complaint signed by a DEA agent is thin on details, and there was no mention in court about Sharp's destination. The judge had to speak loudly after Sharp said he had lost some hearing during a war. Sharp did not elaborate.

Sharp asked that he be allowed to get medicine that apparently had been seized by officers.

"I could have a stroke," he said.

At another point, Sharp said he probably could read better than anyone in the courtroom and that he's writing a book. He "absolutely" promised to return to court on Nov. 10. "You're the boss," Sharp told the judge, who ordered a mental-health evaluation.

"I'm sorry, sir, to be so troublesome," Sharp said.

Outside court, he told The Associated Press he grows lilies on a 46-acre Indiana farm.

"I love plants. It's a serious love -- except the crap that makes you high," Sharp said. "I'm innocent. You'll learn about it."

Defense attorney Ray Richards said he thinks the amount of cocaine tops 200 pounds.

"This case is going to be challenging," Richards said.

DEA spokesman Rich Isaacson said he couldn't discuss details of the investigation but said the role of an 87-year-old man was unusual.

"Drug-trafficking groups use all kinds of measures to avoid detection by law enforcement. Using an older gentleman could be another strategy," he said.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2013100...-guilty-Detroit

Alleged drug mule, 89, expected to plead guilty in Detroit

Robert Snell
The Detroit News
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Leo Earl Sharp (U.S. Marshals Service)

Detroit — An 89-year-old alleged drug mule is expected to plead guilty next week in a move that would spare him from standing trial in a federal drug conspiracy case.

A plea hearing for Leo Sharp of Michigan City, Ind., is set for Oct. 8 in front of U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds, one week before the start of his trial. Terms of his expected guilty plea were not available Tuesday.

Sharp was charged two years ago and accused of hauling 228 pounds of cocaine across the country for one of Mexico’s most powerful drug rings. The case involved 19 defendants and gained notoriety because of Sharp’s age and the mutton-chopped man’s colorful appearance in federal court.

During a 2011 court appearance, Sharp gave a rambling speech, telling a federal judge he was forced at gunpoint to haul the drugs, said he once owned two 747 airliners and received a Bronze Star for bravery in Italy during World War II. He also complained about hearing loss caused by cannon fire during “the war” before being cut off by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Randon.

“Mr. Sharp, we are trying to get you home to Indiana,” Randon said, warning him to keep quiet. “Help me help you.”

Sharp is a renowned horticulturalist and owner of a 46-acre farm where he grows 168 registered varieties of daylilies. One variety, the Brookwood Bairn, is known for its triangle-shaped petals and bright yellow, red and green colors.

Sharp was pulled over in Washtenaw County in 2011, based on a tip to state police by federal drug agents. Sharp's attorney said the drug seizure was illegal because authorities had no probable cause to stop him. But Edmunds earlier this year ruled in favor of the government.

A trooper says Sharp was upset when the drugs were discovered and declared, “Just kill me and let me leave this planet.”

Prosecutors said Sharp was no rookie when it came to hauling drugs.

As far back as 2000, Sharp had been working as a drug courier for Chicago-area drug dealers, according to federal court records.

Alleged drug dealers working for the Sinaloa cartel based in Sinaloa, Mexico, jokingly called Sharp "grandfather" and the "old man" and expressed concern about the alleged drug mule's mental state, according to conversations secretly recorded by federal wiretaps.

rsnell@detroitnews.com
The Associated Press contributed

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2013100...5#ixzz2gmZqEQWF