He may be Will Smith's brother-in-law, but Dee Lawrence Downs did not get a very warm welcome to Miami.
Downs, who is married to Smith's younger sister Ellen, was arrested last month after he fell into a cocaine trafficking sting operation.
According to The Huffington Post and Star magazine, Downs got popped on January 17 on charges of attempted possession with intent to sell five kilograms or more of cocaine.
Downs had made arrangements to travel down from Philadelphia to Miami to complete the deal with what he thought was a major coke dealer. When he arrived, Downs was driven to Latin Bohemia Grill in Coral Gables and told what he thought were the dealer's contacts that he was looking for a steady supplier, and new people in Philadelphia who could move the coke fast.
Downs then started striking a deal and agreed on a price of $26,500 per kilo with a $1,500 transport fee.
He then returned to Philly and wired his sources a $7,500 payment.
On January 17, he met again with what he thought were dealers to complete the deal. He presented them a large black bag stuffed with cash to buy two kilos of coke.
Unbeknownst to him, he was dealing with undercover DEA agents. He was indicted yesterday and pleaded not guilty. He was released on bail yesterday.
Downs has a criminal history dating back to the '80s, and spent some time in jail after a 1992 arrest. Smith attended Downs' wedding in 2004.
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