CAPE JURY FINDS MAN GUILTY ON DRUG CHARGES

A Los Angeles man who police say has been trafficking drugs into Southeast Missouri for years was found guilty in federal court on Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Willie L. Smith, 31, had been charged with conspiring to distribute and manufacture cocaine base and possession with the intent to distribute. It took a jury of six men and six women 50 minutes to find Smith guilty.

Smith has been bringing narcotics into the area since 1986, an undercover agent with Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn told the court how Smith, previously convicted on cocaine charges in Minnesota and California, orchestrated the transfer of 500 grams of cocaine from Los Angeles to Cape Girardeau last July.

Buying bus tickets July 3 for himself and Austin A. Bain, 19, of Los Angeles, the two traveled to Memphis, Tenn., where they were met by Kenneth W. Pryor and Yolandis Patterson, of Cape Girardeau. The four drove back to Cape Girardeau, where Smith's mother and grandmother live.

But Smith didn't bring cocaine with him, Bain told the court. Bain said he had seen a woman, referred to as "Aunt Betty," have a package taped to her body in Smith's Los Angeles residence. Smith had identified the bag to him as containing cocaine, Bain said.

"Aunt Betty" then traveled separately, bringing the package to Cape Girardeau, Bain said.

Bain also told jurors that he had seen Smith dividing the cocaine into sandwich bags at 803 S. Ellis St., where they had been staying with Smith's grandmother.

Smith, Bain and Pryor were arrested on July 6 when Edwin Patterson, a friend of Smith's, informed police that they were transporting cocaine base in a car driven by Pryor.

Patterson and Bain both testified in court against Smith.

Defense attorney Scott Dale said the two were not credible witnesses, since both had criminal convictions. Bain would likely receive a lesser sentence for pleading guilty to drug charges and cooperating with federal prosecutors, Dale said.

"All the police were able to get were a scared kid and a paid informant," Dale told the jury in his closing argument.

Smith gave his own testimony, explaining that he had brought Bain with him to Missouri so that he might experience a "country life" and escape "dangerous" Los Angeles.

Bain reminded Smith of himself, the defendant said, and he wanted to guide Bain away from the type of troubles that he experienced.

Hahn questioned Smith's intentions, noting that Smith had said during his testimony that he had given Bain $10 to buy marijuana while they were in Cape Girardeau.

Although police were not able to recover the 500 grams of cocaine that Bain had seen, they were led to a bag containing 200 grams under a wheelchair ramp in the 100 block south of Pacific Street three days after arresting Smith. Smith's grandmother, Jessie Smith, led police to the cocaine after a person whose voice she didn't recognize called her and told her that a package of cocaine was at that location.

Smith's grandmother told the court she had not seen her grandson with any cocaine.

U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber said Smith will be sentenced sometime in May. He faces the possibility of life imprisonment for both charges of distribution and manufacturing cocaine base, Hahn said, and up to 30 years for possession of the drug with intent to distribute.