Man allegedly busted with more than 65 kilos of cocaine attempted to flee U.S., records show
A man released on a promise to appear in court after federal agents said he was caught with more than 65 kilograms of cocaine last month in Texas was arrested Sunday after attempting to board a flight to Japan, federal court records show.
Khan Le, who reportedly helped DEA agents nab another man last month at an Ann Arbor hotel, was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in federal court in Detroit on a charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
He never showed, court records say, because Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained him Sunday in Chicago as he attempted to board a flight to Japan. Le had been out on a $25,000 unsecured bond set by U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen on April 12. The conditions of his bond restricted his travel to Minnesota and Michigan. His bond has been revoked.
According to court records, he was arrested during a traffic stop on April 8 in Texas, where officers said they found a large quantity of cocaine in his car. Agents initially said 77 kilograms were recovered, but an indictment alleges he had 66 kilograms.
Investigators say he agreed to deliver the cocaine on April 11 to Mach Tan Le at an Ann Arbor hotel. Agents were at the hotel and arrested Mach Tan Le.
It's unclear whether the men are related.
Mach Tan Le pleaded not guilty Monday to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and has agreed to be detained as he awaits trial.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
BhavanaJagat
Fri, May 6, 2011 : 4:29 p.m.
It is very interesting to read about the involvement of people of Asian origin in such crimes. It is not Hispanics or Africans who are often described in this kind of stories. The Judge may have released him as the criminal had agreed to cooperate with DEA and help them to nab the recipient of a huge, and expensive load of drugs. The person in Ann Arbor may have other contacts and connections and it becomes necessary to free them to find the extent of a large, complex operation. While drugs are a problem, we still need to come to terms with human desire to experience the effects of the drugs.
OLDTIMER3
Fri, May 6, 2011 : 12:24 p.m.
Maybe the judge got the other 11 kilograms that were first reported!
walker101
Fri, May 6, 2011 : 12:16 p.m.
He's more scared of the drug cartel, which has a green light for him, it'll just be a matter of time when they find him without a head. He's been the run since he was given bail and when his drug friends find him and pay him a nice visit for losing the millions they lost and then rat out the Canadian connection. I wonder why they don't show his picture, ICE knows if they do he's a walking dead man.
zip the cat
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 6:38 p.m.
Since when do you have to AGREE to be detained What is going on in the courts ,I can't believe what I am reading lately. 65 Kilos of coke and he walks free with almost zero bond The he AGREES to be detained,whats with that Then you have some dude in ypsi who steals 80 laptops and its a felony B/E and he gets out on $500.00 bond. The courts are a farce
cinnabar7071
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 8:55 p.m.
Zip it WAS 77 kilos when he was busted, I bet if his lawyer stoles long enough all the coke will be gone and le can walk.
SonnyDog09
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 5:07 p.m.
I hope that this incident is a part of U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen's performance review. It shows an appalling lack of judgement, which is unfortunate when your job title contains the word "judge."
RJA
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 4:36 p.m.
What the hell was this Judge thinking? Let him go, and then NO SHOW? I wonder if he thought he wouldn't be arrested on a Sunday? Glad he was, any day is GOOD!
Roadman
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 4:34 p.m.
This was simply poor judgment in giving him bond. Le showed poor judgment in trying to embark on a plane when there are watch lists that would flag him for detention. He could have likely waltzed into Canada or Mexico undetected and been home free until the police caught him.
garrisondyer
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 3:44 p.m.
Boy, you'd think a criminal mastermind would have realized that since he'd presumably need to swim through Lake Superior to get to Minnesota, he may as well just keep on swimming to Canada and freedom. Duh.
Ricebrnr
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 2:46 p.m.
Whaaaat? Picture the eTrade baby surprise face here.
alan
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 2:28 p.m.
Duh.
cinnabar7071
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.
I guess the Judge is the only one who didn't see this coming. I wonder how much the Judge was paid.
nickcarraweigh
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 2:02 p.m.
Let's not even deal with the missing cocaine (DEA agents were doubtless forced against their better judgment to give it to a homeless panhandler stationed outside a downtown Ann Arbor medical marijuana dispensary) but this business about the suspects' names is beginning to get annoying. Vietnamese names are reversed from European custom, i.e., the Le that seems to confuse aa.com so much is a first name, not a last name. Kanh is one suspects' last name, while Mach Tan is the patronym of the second. So there.
Roadman
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 4:36 p.m.
It's kinda like Ichiro Suzuki has "Ichiro" emblazoned on the back of his Seattle Mariners uniform.
LAEL
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 3:32 p.m.
Yes, in Vietnam, but we are not in Vietnam. Le is an extremely common Vietnamese surname (much like "Smith" is here), and Khan is a male name, which strongly suggests that the first and last names were already flipped to be presented in FIRST NAME SURNAME order.
javajolt1
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 1:59 p.m.
65 Kilos and a $25,000 unsecured bond?? That virtually guaranteed an attempt to flee.