NEW YORK -- Police arrested an alleged drug kingpin who they say
masterminded a Jamaican-led narcotics ring that used Federal Express
employees to distribute 170 tons of Mexican marijuana on the East Coast.

Indictments unsealed a year ago charged more than 100 people around the
country, including 25 FedEx employees, with distributing marijuana. Mark
Morant was described as the ringleader.

Morant, 33, was arrested in Jamaica in July, but escaped in October from a
hospital. Federal agents arrested him again Thursday night at an apartment
in Brooklyn, Newsday reported Saturday.

The scheme described by federal agents was simple. Once traffickers moved
the marijuana into Southern California from Mexico, it was placed on FedEx
aircraft, which flew it to airports on the East Coast. From there it was
moved by FedEx trucks to distributors in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New
York, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida.

Morant is charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and could face up
to 40 years in prison if convicted.

Federal authorities plan to extradite him to Los Angeles, where he was
indicted.