Local News in Brief : Gang Member Gets 25 Years in Drug Case
A Los Angeles gang member convicted of carrying 22 pounds of cocaine into Kansas City has been sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole.
U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs in Kansas City imposed the sentence on Derrick Lance Blackman, who said he belonged to the Crips gang, which authorities said is trying to extend its drug trafficking to Kansas City.
The judge also fined Blackman $100,000.
The cocaine was found in a duffel bag Blackman carried when he arrived at the Amtrak station in Kansas City.
He told the jury he did not know the bag he was carrying contained cocaine.
Authorities said the cocaine had a street value of $1 million.
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