A Jamestown man has been arrested on a federal drug charge stemming from an April traffic stop. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Wednesday that 54-year-old Koran Leeper faces a charge of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, which was the result of an investigation by the DEA and Jamestown Police Department.
According to prosecutors, Leeper was riding in a vehicle that was got pulled over on April 30th. Jamestown Police saw an unusual amount of a crystal-like substance on Leeper's chest and legs. When questioned about it by one of the officers, Leeper told them it was cigarette ash. However, the officer did not believe that the substance was fully cigarette ash, but instead an illegal drug. Officers tried to search the vehicle, but the driver declined. Officers observed what they believed to be loose crack cocaine on the driver's seat and the passenger's seat in plain view. Officers also saw the corner of a ripped off baggie containing a white powdery residue. Believing that the driver and Leeper were in possession of controlled substances, officers conducted a search of the vehicle and located a clear container with the residue of a white powdery substance, as well as a glass smoking device. The driver and Leeper were taken into custody. Officers then located a plastic bag containing a large amount of a crystal-like substance in Leeper's left pocket and a plastic bag containing a white powder-like substance in his right pocket.
Leeper made an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge and was detained. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
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