63-Year-Old Grandma Pulls A Scarface And Allegedly Smuggles $500k Worth Of Cocaine Through Airport

On Friday morning, a 63-year-old grandmother was arrested after she allegedly attempted to smuggle half a million dollars worth of cocaine through Detroit’s Metro Airport.

After arriving in Detroit from Las Vegas, the authorities became suspicious of Cheryl Cheatham when she reportedly began acting strangely, according to the court documents.

Law enforcement officers followed Cheatham to her nearby hotel room before they eventually arrested her. She has been charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to People.

Some of the bizarre behavior that the authorities observed when Cheatham arrived at Detroit Metro included watching her as she allegedly was closely inspecting the tags of many other bags at baggage claim like she clearly had not owned her luggage for very long.

The cops also mentioned that before leaving the airport, Cheatham stopped to make sure that she was not being followed.

On Monday, Cheatham appeared in federal court for a detention hearing for her charges. She was denied bond by a magistrate judge after he cited her 30-year criminal history and the amount of drugs discovered by the police.

The court documents revealed that Cheatham has previously been convicted of selling and possessing drugs, theft, shoplifting, and failing to appear in court (seven times). The audio from the detention hearing also indicated that Cheatham has served six and half years in prison for theft.

Due to her history of missing court appearances, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Hutting requested from the judge that Cheatham remain behind bars.

Magistrate Judge David R. Grand granted Hutting’s request. He also took the opportunity to chastise Cheatham for not acting like an adult.

Judge Grand said that “people make bad choices when they’re younger, but “as they get older” they should learn to make better decisions, according to the audio from the hearing.

“Unfortunately, in your situations, that doesn’t seem to have happened,” said Grand. “Here we are in 2016, and you’re caught with this substantial amount of narcotics.”

Cheatham’s defense attorney, Todd Shanker, has made the argument that she has serious mental issues and she was likely involved in a drug mule type situation.

“At best, this looks like a [drug] mule situation,” Shanker said. “When all is said and done, locking her up is not…good. I think she needs help.”

Defense Attorney Shanker may have argued that Cheatham belongs in a hospital bed, but the prosecutors countered by saying that she was strong enough to carry 17 kilos of cocaine in her bags. Therefore, she belonged behind bars.

Court documents revealed that Judge Grand ordered a medical and mental health evaluation for Cheatham.

How do you think the cops reacted to finding $500k worth of cocaine in a 63-year-old woman’s luggage?

[H/T People]