TEARFUL FORMER ST. PAUL COP PLEADS GUILTY TO INVOLVEMENT IN HUGE DRUG
BUST

Dabbing his eyes with facial tissues, former St. Paul Police Sgt.
Clemmie Tucker pleaded guilty today in a halting voice to possession
with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture
containing methamphetamine, which carries a sentence of 10 years to
life in prison.

U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen, noting that Tucker appeared
"somewhat emotional," questioned him extensively to make sure that
he still wanted to plead guilty, but Tucker said he did.

After the hearing at the Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis, Tucker,
55, walked a few feet from the defense table, sat down in another
chair, his eyes still wet from tears, and put his head in his hands.

Asked by a reporter whether he would be willing to comment, Tucker
said, softly, "No, thank you."

Tucker turned himself in to Minneapolis police on June 7, five days
after he showed up at the Minneapolis Greyhound bus depot to collect
a package that contained 10 kilos, about 22 pounds, of cocaine and 8
pounds of methamphetamine.

Minneapolis Police Capt. Rich Stanek called it one of the largest,
if not the largest narcotics seizures, by Minneapolis police and
estimated its street value at $4 million.

A second federal count having to do with the cocaine was dropped in
connection with Tucker's guilty plea.

Under the plea agreement between the U.S. attorney's office and
Tucker's lawyers, federal prosecutors acknowledged that Tucker
accepted responsibility for his actions. But Ericksen noted that she
is not bound by the agreement, which means that based on her own
review of the case and a pre-sentencing investigative report on
Tucker, she could depart upward or downward from the 10-year minimum sentence.

Tucker arrived in Erickson's 12th-floor courtroom wearing a brown
suit, carrying a leather hat, and his right arm in a sling due to an
unspecified shoulder injury.

Asked by Ericksen whether he could raise his right hand to be sworn
in, Tucker indicated that he could not and instead raised his left
hand. Ericksen, saying she wanted to make sure he was clear-headed
enough to make a plea, asked what medications he was taking.

Questioned by federal prosecutor Drew Winter, Tucker admitted he
knew that accepting the drugs was illegal, that they were going to
be sold and he was going to be paid for them. He also acknowledged
that he would be paid at least $10,000, although Winter noted
that Tucker had previously said he did not know the quantity of
drugs that had been sent to him.

Winter declined to comment after the hearing as did Tucker's
attorneys, Eric Olson and Anthony Spector of Minneapolis.