Canadian coke smuggler: I’m guilty

A Canadian man arrested with 38 kilos of cocaine last fall recently pleaded guilty to a federal cocaine charge.

Michael B. Yuill, 36, (left, dressed as Shrek for Halloween 2005 in a picture from his hometown paper, the Observer), pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.

The charges carries a prison sentence of 10 years to life. No plea deal was accepted when Yuill pleaded guilty Feb. 2.

He’ll be sentenced May 3. Yuill, a father of two with no previous criminal record, was arrested Oct. 7 after employees at a Spokane International Airport rental agency told investigators he’d rented several SUVs and returned them after racking up unusually high mileage – some 3,000 miles apiece.

Yuill, a resident of Salmon Arm, British Columbia, a small community about 300 miles north of Spokane, was arrested after U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents spent two days tailing him throughout Eastern Washington.

Previous coverage:

B.C man in coke bust to stay in jail

38 kilos of cocaine seized in Eastern Washington