AP News, December 8th, 2007
A man convicted in a scheme to ship cocaine to the United States in the shoes of young people recruited as couriers was sentenced Friday to 17 years in federal prison.
Duane Seawell, 34, a native of Belize, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Graham after pleading guilty in July to money laundering and two counts of shipping cocaine into the United States.
Seawell will likely be deported after serving his prison term.
"I'm very sorry for my involvement," Seawell told Graham. "I'm very remorseful for what I did."
Prosecutors say Seawell is among three brothers and dozens of others who were part of a multimillion dollar plot that extended from Belize through Mexico to cities across the United States, including Columbus, Dallas and New Orleans.
To date, 70 people have been prosecuted and convicted in the case in courts in the United States and Mexico.
Seawell was arrested in Miami in February during a layover as Jamaican authorities were deporting him to Belize for illegally entering Jamaica. Before announcing his decision, Graham noted the size of the conspiracy, the number of people involved and the lives affected by the drug trafficking.
Prosecutors declined to comment.
Seawell's lawyer said she had hoped her client's lack of a criminal record and willingness to be extradited to the United States would have resulted in a slightly lesser sentence.
For "someone of this level of criminal involvement to have no record whatsoever is pretty noteworthy," said attorney Diane Menashe. She said he had a history of being employed and some college education.
