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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Police beat Feds strike plea deal with Delta Blues defendant

Posted by Max Brantley on Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 12:35 PM

U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer will have a news conference this afternoon to discuss a plea bargain filed in federal court today concerning Sedrick "Binky" Trice, one of the defendants swept up in the Delta Blues bust of drug rings in eastern Arkansas, particularly centered in Helena-West Helena. The charges included corruption counts against law officers

Here's the deal filed earlier today. The document details what Trice can be expected to say about drug dealing activities with an extensive list of other defendants. Notably, it also explains how Trice paid money to law officers to avoid criminal charges.

The details make good reading, something like a script from "The Wire." There's even a lexicon of coded language used in cell phone conversations to mask illicit activities. A Biggie Small CD, for example, was 4.5 ounces of cocaine. A nine-piece chicken dinner was nine ounces of cocaine. And so on.

The bargain provides a recommendation for a 40-year sentence in return for cooperation. I'm unclear if this can be reduced after successful cooperation.

Here's a news release that says Trice is a leader, presumably a key to reaching big fish, not little ones.

Tags: Sedrick Trice, Delta Blues, Chris Thyer

        
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