CRIME: CRACK RING SAGA ENDS WITH FINAL LIFE SENTENCE

The shutdown of the largest crack cocaine ring in Southeast Missouri finally was completed Wednesday as a Pemiscot County man received life in prison without the possibility of parole.

James E. Borders, 28, of Hayti Heights, Mo., is one of only three drug dealers in Southeast Missouri to get a life sentence in the past 10 years, said Larry Ferrell, assistant U.S. attorney.

Ring leader Rickey L. Jackson, Borders' cocaine supplier who was convicted in 1998, is another.

Using a rap music record company as a front, Jackson provided thousands of dollars' worth of cocaine to the son of Hayti Heights' mayor, Borders and others throughout southeast and central Missouri, Ferrell said.

"Every county has its crack cocaine places," Ferrell said. "Most of the time it's just small-time dealers selling. But these residences in Hayti Heights were used only for the distribution of crack cocaine on an ongoing, daily basis."

Eventually, Jackson also provided cocaine to an undercover police officer posing as a corrupt cop.

With Borders' sentencing, Ferrell said the saga of a multistate drug ring covered with a rap-music front came to an end.

Working undercover

Jackson's acquaintance with Pemiscot County sheriff's deputy Robert Lockett started with a traffic stop in Steeleville, Mo., on July 5, 1996. Lockett suspected Jackson and his girlfriend, Cameka Tousant, were transporting drugs. But a search of Jackson's vehicle by drug-sniffing dogs could only locate money in a glovebox.

The next day, Lockett was approached by David Humes Jr., son of Hayti Heights' mayor.

The mayor's son propositioned Lockett. In exchange for information that law enforcement agencies had on Jackson and himself, Humes would pay $300 for every tip.

After discussing the deal with members of the Bootheel Drug Task Force, Lockett, a former champion Golden Gloves boxer, decided to play along with Humes.

Over two years, Lockett was paid in cash four times and with crack cocaine on 11 occasions, Ferrell said.

In exchange, Lockett provided Humes with substantially false police reports.

"They had to include some elements of truth. Otherwise it wouldn't have worked," Ferrell said.

Eventually, Borders and others also solicited information from Lockett in exchange for cocaine.

But Jackson was responsible for acquiring the cocaine. He bought multiple kilogram shipments from suppliers in several locations: Blytheville, Ark.; Columbia, Mo.; Kansas City, Mo.; Midwest City, Okla.; and places in Texas, Ferrell said.

Jackson owned homes in several cities, although he never had regular employment.

"Drug dealers operate on a cash-only basis," Ferrell said. "They don't have large bank accounts. Credit cards and checks would leave a trail to follow."

On an average day, a distributor for Jackson and Borders would make $400 to $500 in cocaine sales, the attorney said. A good day would sees sales double.

"For every $20 rock of crack cocaine, a distributor would keep $5," he said.

Jackson purchased a $31,000 Ford Expedition with cash. He then had $4,000 gold rims placed on the vehicle, along with $9,000 worth of entertainment equipment, including a television next to the steering wheel and two video game screens installed into the front seats.

Making music

To shield his money, Jackson operated the "What's Stoppin Ya" record label with a recording studio near his Columbia, Mo., home. On a 12-song compact disc featuring lyrics about dealing narcotics and killing police, Jackson went by the stage name "Baby Gotti."

One song is titled "C-ville Mafia," which is an abbreviation of Caruthersville, Mo., Ferrell said.

One song ends with the words, "...the feds can't touch me."

"They had been operating such a large operation for so long, they felt untouchable," Ferrell said.

Jackson, Humes, and several of their associates were arrested in May 1996. At the time of his arrest, Jackson had $1,800 in cash in his wallet and a duffel bag containing $7,000 in his car.

The arrests resulted in several convictions, including 91 months in federal prison for Humes, 81 months for distributor Alexis James of Hayti Heights, and 327 months for Alonzo Jones of Steele, Mo.

Both Borders, 29, and Jackson are in prison for life without the option for parole. They won't get out, Ferrell said.

"In the federal system, life means life," he said.