Judge Upholds Solitary for Alleged Drug Czar
The constitutional rights of alleged Colombia drug kingpin Carlos Lehder are not being violated by the tight security imposed pending his trial on cocaine-smuggling charges, a judge ruled Monday.
U.S. District Judge Howell W. Melton also said Lehder did not have a right to private meetings with members of his family.
Michael Weatherby, Lehder’s court-appointed attorney, on Friday filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, alleging Ledher’s constitutional rights were being violated by holding him in solitary confinement at an undisclosed federal prison. Lehder is accused of being one of the top cocaine traffickers in the world.
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