Grandmother Busted Trying To Smuggle $500,000 Worth of Cocaine

63 year old Cheryl Cheatham, a Phoenix, AZ grandmother who regularly babysits her three grandchildren, is accused of trying to fly cross country with a over half a million dollars worth of cocaine in two pieces of luggage.

Cheatham flew from Las Vegas to Detroit on Delta flight 1979 when officials noticed her around 5:39 am taking custody of two large suit cases at baggage claim. Police became suspicious when she appeared to not recognize the bags. Las Vegas is known to be a source city in which illegal narcotics, such as cocaine and heroin, are flown into Detroit.

Authorities monitored Cheatham as she stood at the Metro Car stand outside of the airport, making sure she was not followed, before entering a cab 10-15 minutes later. The cab then took her to the Westin Hotel in Southfield  where instead of checking in to the hotel, she  got into a chauffeured SUV. That is when police stopped her.

A K-9 alerted them to the drugs in the vehicle. Thats where police found the 17kgs of cocaine she was smuggling in two luggages. Cheatham said that she wanted to call her daughter, but when she was given the phone she had in her possession, she called someone in her contacts listed as ‘Loverboy.’

Cocaine Granny remains in a Detroit jail for now. She was charged with possession with Intent to distribute cocaine. She is facing 10 years behind bars. Authorities still don’t know who Loverboy is.

This wouldn’t be her first bout with the law, however. Cheatham was convicted of transporting and selling controlled substances in 1986 and arrested for importing a controlled substance in 1972. The bulk of her rap sheet comes between the ages of 40 and 50, however.

Watch the news story about the drug trafficking Grandma below.