A Jamestown man faces a federal methamphetamine charge after police said a traffic stop led officers to find bags of crystal-like and powdery substances in his pockets.
Koran Leeper, 54, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York said Wednesday.
The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life. Those penalties describe the statutory range and are not a sentence in the case.
What officers reported finding
According to the complaint, Jamestown police stopped a vehicle in which Leeper was riding on April 30. Officers said they saw an unusual amount of a crystal-like substance on his chest and legs.
Leeper told an officer the material was cigarette ash, the complaint states. The officer believed at least some of it was an illegal drug.
The driver declined a request to search the vehicle, prosecutors said. Officers then reported seeing loose material they believed was crack cocaine on the driver's and passenger's seats, along with the corner of a torn bag containing white powdery residue.
Police searched the vehicle and found a clear container with white powdery residue and a glass smoking device, according to the complaint. Officers took the driver and Leeper into custody.
The complaint states that officers then found a plastic bag containing a large amount of crystal-like material in Leeper's left pocket and another bag containing a white powder-like substance in his right pocket.
Federal investigation continues
Leeper appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah McCarthy and was ordered detained.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration's New York Field Division and the Jamestown Police Department. Prosecutors said the investigation was conducted through the federal Homeland Security Task Force initiative, an interagency effort involving multiple federal law enforcement agencies.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Violanti is prosecuting the case. The criminal complaint contains accusations that must be resolved in federal court.
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