Leo Sharp, a World War II
veteran who suffers from dementia, didn’t get much of a chance to
celebrate his 90th birthday on Wednesday, because a federal judge
sentenced him to three years in prison for smuggling cocaine.
Sharp, whom ABC
describes as the “world’s oldest drug mule,” was stopped in
2011 for an illegal lane change in Michigan. The arresting officer
apparently called for back-up when Sharp declined to have his car
searched. A drug-sniffing dog found 104 bricks of cocaine worth an
estimated $2.9 million. Sharp was charged with conspiracy to
possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
He pleaded guilty, but has claimed that he did it because the
Mexican drug cartel threatened to kill his family. His lawyer
said, “This old man was brainwashed…when he wanted to quit,
they put a gun to his head,” and that he deserves leniency for
“fighting Nazis.” Citing a medley of health problems, the lawyer
requested that Sharp be placed under house arrest.
Sharp doesn’t think he’ll last long in prison–or as he describes
it, “a toilet with bars.” When asked last week about his looming
sentencing, he
said that if the feds lock him up, “I’m going to get a goddamn
gun and shoot myself in the mouth or my ear, one or the other.” He
begged the judge, “I’m really heartbroken I did what I did. But
it’s done.”
Too bad, grandpa. U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds wants his
punishment to serve as a deterrent for other rogue seniors. She
insists that “this is not a victimless crime,”
writing that the “illegal distribution of narcotics” is
“ravishing” major cities, is “leading to horrific cartel violence
in Mexico,” and that Sharp’s “actions are directly linked to this
destructive force.”
Sharp’s plea deal reduced his prison time from the standard
minimum recommendation of 10 years, but he was also fined $500,000
and had to forfeit a flower nursery he owns.
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