'SMUGLER' License Plates Lead Cops to Cocaine Smuggler
Ah, the criminals just keep getting brighter and brighter. Or not. Recently released court documents reveal the amusing details of a December drug smuggling arrest in Blaine, Wash. The smuggler -- Jasmin Klair -- was reportedly caught riding in an SUV marked with license plates that spelled out "SMUGLER."
Even better, officers spotted the vehicle as it pulled into the parking lot at the Smuggler's Inn Bed and Breakfast. She was carrying nine bricks of cocaine.
Turns out Jasmin Klair was just a drug mule sent from across the Canadian border. Two men approached her, offering $4,000 to carry the cocaine into Washington, explains the Huffington Post. Once Klair agreed, they dropped her off at a local Pizza Hut and then told her to call the Smuggler's Inn for a ride.
She did, and the owner went to pick her up. Unfortunately for Klair, he also happened to be the proud owner of the smuggler license plates.
Officers believe the owner didn't know about Klair's drugs, according to HuffPo. However, he admits that these types of incidents are par for the course. The Smuggler's Inn sees about 60 arrests a year, as it is located only 30 feet from the Canadian border.
He apparently meant for the name to be cheeky, not encouraging.
Luckily for him, the smuggling license plates (and the inn's name) aren't illegal. Unfortunately for Jasmin Klair, smuggling cocaine is. She's since pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Her co-conspirators are awaiting trial.
Related Resources:
- SUV license plate 'SMUGLER' doesn't fool agents in cocaine case (MSNBC)
- Smuggling (FindLaw)
- Woman, Depicted As Smuggling Drugs In Her Private Parts, Sues Network (FindLaw's Legally Weird)