Pubdate: Fri, 08 Mar 2002
Source: Times Union (NY)
Copyright: 2002 Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation
Contact:  http://www.timesunion.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/452
Author: Brendan Lyons

COPS BELIEVE TEEN WAS DUPED BY DRUG DEALERS

Police Say Mentally Disabled Suspect Was Caught Transporting 60 Bags of 
Heroin on Bus

A mentally disabled teenager from Brooklyn was recruited by New York City 
drug dealers to bring a shipment of heroin to Albany on board a bus, police 
said.

The 15-year-old boy was stopped by undercover Albany County sheriff's 
investigators after exiting a bus at the Albany bus terminal late 
Wednesday. Investigators said they found 60 bags of heroin labeled "Dead 
Presidents" stuffed in clothing inside a knapsack the teen was carrying.

Three young men also on board the bus may have been with the teenager, but 
authorities did not have reason to detain them and they quickly left the 
bus terminal, said sheriff's Inspector John Burke.

"I've been doing this stuff for a long time, but this kid had the body of a 
15-year-old and the mind of an 8-year-old," Burke said. "These kids 
buffaloed him and conned him into carrying this stuff. They told him he was 
going to see his aunt in Albany."

The teenager was arraigned on felony drug charges in Family Court and is 
being held at the Capital District Secure Juvenile Detention Facility near 
Albany County jail. He was not charged as an adult, and his case will be 
handled by the county attorney.

The accused teen lives with his aunt in Brooklyn. He allegedly was lured to 
the New York City Port Authority on Wednesday by suspected drug dealers who 
called him and offered to buy him a bus ticket to Albany to visit a 
relative who investigators said does not exist. He was instructed where to 
sit on the bus and where to go once he arrived in Albany, Burke said.

"I think I've seen just about every con, but this kid does not know how old 
he really is. I hope we can get him help," Burke said. "I don't think he's 
guilty for what he was caught with. I don't think this kid knows the 
difference between right and wrong."

Officials said that since the case is being handled in Family Court, it is 
unlikely he will serve time in prison. But he will remain in custody while 
officials determine how to handle the case.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Alex