Jerome Levore Parker, 29, was arrested in March after Transportation Security Administration screeners at Tucson International Airport found cocaine

Jerome Levore Parker, 29, was arrested in March after Transportation Security Administration screeners at Tucson International Airport found bundles of cocaine hidden inside his suitcase and computer bag.
Parker had flown into Tucson from New York and was planning to fly to London the following day.
Parker pleaded guilty to attempted transportation of narcotics for sale in Pima County Superior Court last month.
Parker’s attorney, Brad Roach, told Judge Richard Nichols Parker only agreed to carry the drugs because he was behind in child support.
Upon his arrest, Parker immediately confessed, Roach said.
“This is not who Jerome is. It was very atypical. He doesn’t come from a family where this behavior is typical,” Roach said.
He had hoped to negotiate a plea agreement in which probation was available, but the Pima County Attorney’s Office refused because of the amount of the drugs, Roach said.
Roach told the judge he hoped he would give Parker a mitigated sentence of 2.5 years.
Nichols declined, saying he agreed that 12 pounds of cocaine is not a small amount.