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A Canadian citizen arrested in Eastern Washington with more than 80 pounds of cocaine will remain in federal custody, a judge ruled today.
Michael B. Yuill, 36, of Salmon Arm, B.C., has been in Spokane County Jail since his arrest on the Colville Indian Reservation Oct. 7. DEA agents found 38 kilos of cocaine in his rented Nissan Sport Utility Vehicle, according to federal court documents.
U.S Magistrate Cynthia Imbrogno said in a ruling filed this morning that there isn’t proof Yuill has a plan for his release that would ensure he’d appear for court dates. While Yuill is very close to his mother and has monthly contact with his brothers, Imbrogno noted that no family members attended his bail hearing Tuesday.
“Typically, if a defendant is a citizen from outside the United States, there is strong family support present at the bail hearing with reasonable assurances the family can assist with supervision and with facilitating an individual’s return for court dates,” Imbrogno wrote.
Yuill’s public defender said his employer at a Salmon Arm saloon can help with bond, but federal prosecutors say that man is being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in connection to Yuill’s charges, according to Imbrogno’s ruling. (UPDATE: prosecutors say the investigation is NOT related to the cocaine bust.)
Federal agents began tracking Yuill, an electrician and father of two with no criminal record, after Spokane International Airport police said he’d rented several SUVs in the last four months and returned them with unusually high mileage.
Read my previous story here.
Reporter Meghann Cuniff writes about public safety news from the Inland Northwest and beyond.
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Rifleman__Dodd on October 14 at 1:54 p.m.
So where is the probable cause for the Spokane International Airport police to monitor rental vehicle mileage?
They aren’t still working for George Bush are they?
I guess they are not too busy monitoring the parking in the red or is it the white zones.
meghannc on October 14 at 5:18 p.m.
It sounds like employees with the car rental place contacted airport police with concerns. Here’s a quote from the affidavit:
“On or about September 17, 2009, law enforcement agencies assigned to the DEA Spokane Resident Office received intelligence from a law enforcement officer employed by the Spokane International Airport Police Department, indicating that a Canadian citizen named “Michael Yuill” had been identified as a suspicious person by service employees at the Spokane International Airport. The officer indicated that during the previous four (4) months, Yuill had rented several SUVs at the Spokane International Airport and returned them with unusually high mileage (between 2600 and 3200 miles) in the opinion of the service employees.”