Helena man admits being drug runner

He also says dealers kept arms, stashes at his home

— For nearly two years, Jessie Brewer’s apartment in Helena-West Helena was known to crack dealers and users as “The Projects,” a place where guns were stashed and drugs were easily available for purchase, prosecutors say.

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On Thursday, Brewer, 48, admitted in federal court that he not only let Delta drug kingpins Sedrick Trice and Leon Edwards store firearms and deal their wares out of his home but also acted as a drug runner for them, picking up crack rocks and dropping them off with customers around town.

Dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, Brewer appeared before U.S. District Judge James Moody and formally made the admissions as he pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute illegal drugs. The charge stemmed from a federal public-corruption and drug-trafficking investigation known as Operation Delta Blues.

Brewer was the 45th defendant to plead guilty as a result of the FBI-led sting, which culminated in October 2011 with the arrests of Brewer and nearly 70 others in eastern Arkansas.

Among those arrested were five police officers as well as Trice and Edwards, who have admitted to dealing hundreds of pounds of cocaine and marijuana in the state’s impoverished Delta. Both are now serving lengthy federal prison sentences as a result. Four of the five officers also have pleaded guilty and were sentenced to lesser terms; the fifth was convicted in December.

According to his plea agreement, Brewer was a small-time drug buyer who played a larger role as a runner in Trice and Edwards’ drug operation, a job federal wiretaps recorded him discussing in March 2011.

For instance, on March 17, 2011, Edwards called Brewer.

“Hey, go by your house, pick up one of the dudes and come and get one and a half. There is already a half up there. Just go get one. There is already a half up there,” Edwards said, according to Brewer’s plea agreement.

Brewer responded, “There is already a half up here?”

“Yeah, there is a half at the shop,” Edwards said.

Federal authorities interpreted the conversation to mean: “Edwards wanted Brewer to bring a half-ounce of cocaine from AC Customs, and to pick up an ounce of cocaine,” according to the plea agreement. AC Customs was an auto shop at the corner of U.S. 49 and U.S. Business 49 in Helena-West Helena that served as the base of Edwards and Trice’s drug ring.

In addition to drugs, federal wiretaps recorded Brewer discussing a .40-caliber pistol that Trice had picked up from Brewer’s house.

The two also discussed an AK-47 style rifle.

On March 14, 2011, Trice called Brewer inquiring about the size of bullets that an “AK” fires.

Brewer replied: “7.7632 or something,” trying to remember the correct caliber for that rifle, which fires 7.62 x 39mm cartridges.

“Trice then explained that someone was trying to rob Trice of money and drugs, stating, ‘He said he know our whole operation, you feel me? ... Room 131,’ referring to Room 131 at Motel 6, one location where Trice prepared and stored drugs for distribution,” according to Brewer’s plea agreement.

The plea agreement doesn’t mention any other details of the purported robbery scheme, including whether it actually came to fruition.

During the hearing, Moody asked Brewer if a “dangerous weapon” had in fact been stored at his house as part of the drug conspiracy.

“There was a weapon in the house ... I can say it was in my possession. I was the only one there,” Brewer told Moody.

Moody then accepted Brewer’s plea, and remanded him to U.S. Marshals’ custody. Brewer, who in total took responsibility for his involvement in the distribution of cocaine, marijuana and at least an ounce of crack cocaine, will be sentenced at a later hearing where Moody could impose a sentence of five to 40 years in federal prison. The federal system doesn’t have parole.

Arkansas, Pages 9 on 01/18/2013

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