Trini faces 10 years’ jail in Miami for ‘coke’

FORMER BWIA flight attendant Michael Andre Le Blanc has pleaded guilty in a Miami court to conspiracy to import five kilos of cocaine into the United States.

Le Blanc, who now faces between five and ten years’ imprisonment, will come up for sentencing on August 24. He is detained at the federal prison in downtown Miami pending the sentence or a bail hearing. Le Blanc pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on Monday after his motion to suppress evidence was rejected by Judge Woolbrook at the United States District Court — Southern District of Florida. Le Blanc’s attorneys have already indicated their intention to appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Le Blanc was originally charged with four counts, but the other three counts of possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, were withdrawn after his guilty plea. Le Blanc was charged jointly with Frances Dow and Gregory Oral Lakhan with conspiring with others between February 14 and 17, to import five kilos of cocaine into the United States from a place outside. Lakhan pleaded guilty last month and was released on bail pending his sentencing in August. Dow, a BWIA flight attendant, went on trial yesterday after pleading not guilty to the indictment.

Le Blanc was seeking to suppress the evidence because the federal agents did not adhere to his constitutional rights. His motion was argued by American attorney Dean Mosley, while the US Government was represented by John Delionado, Assistant US Attorney. According to the information presented in the motion, Le Blanc travelled from Trinidad, arriving in Miami at 12.20 pm on February 14. After clearing Customs, Le Blanc drove to the Holiday Inn located at the corner of 36th Street and 205 Lejune Road to meet a female friend, Frances Dow. Le Blanc arrived at the hotel about 2.30 pm. As he arrived at the hotel and spoke to Dow, and prior to gaining possession of any luggage or mentioning its contents, Le Blanc claimed he was thrown to the ground and held at gun point. He claimed law enforcement agents started to question him about the luggage and its contents. He said his arrest was audio-taped.

Le Blanc’s s attorneys submitted that their client was arrested without probable cause. The Trinidadian’s attorneys believed law enforcement agents moved too quickly because they had absolutely no probable cause to arrest and detain Le Blanc. The arrest and detention of Le Blanc, they submitted, amounted to an illegal seizure of his person and the seizure was in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the United States constitution. Mosley stated that the law enforcement agents failed to honour Le Blanc’s fourth and fifth Amendment Rights and therefore all statements should be suppressed and any evidence collected in his case should be considered the “fruit of poisonous tree.”