Landlord found the drugs
The man who was found with more than $5 million worth of cocaine in his Santa Monica apartment in October was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in state prison as part of a plea bargain.
And while the discovery was shocking to Amir Ali’s neighbors, how the drugs were found was even more of a surprise.
It wasn’t police who initially found the drugs — it was Ali’s landlord who entered his subterranean laundry room to investigate a water pipe burst in the basement. Apparently, there were several kilos stashed in boxes in the laundry room, which is connected to a detached garage that led to Ali’s apartment.
The landlord immediately called police and a search warrant was obtained shortly after. Police found drug paraphernalia inside the apartment, as well as several thousand dollars.
“It was fortuitous police work,” said Alex Kessel, Ali’s Encino-based attorney. “If it weren’t for that leaky pipe, they would have never found it. The short arm of the law got my client.”
Stuart Powell, a prosecutor for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, agreed, saying the arrest was a “total fluke.”
Ali, a 24-year-old middle eastern Canadian national, was arrested by Santa Monica Police on Oct. 6 when they seized more than 24 kilos of cocaine in the laundry room. Ali, who lived in an apartment on 18th Street, between Arizona Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard, was facing up to 19 years in prison on charges of possession for sale of a controlled substance.
Ali wasn’t home at the time of the incident, but he arrived shortly after police were investigating the scene. When he drove up and saw police, he fled, police said. Police were able to apprehend him shortly after.
Ali, who has no prior criminal convictions, is eligible for parole in 3 1/2 years. He will be deported to Canada by the Immigration and Naturalization Service as soon as he is released from prison. As part of the plea, Ali will not receive credit for the three months he has served since his arrest, Powell said.
It’s unknown where Ali obtained the drugs since he refused to give police a statement. If his case had gone to trial, Ali still would have had no obligation to provide information regarding how and from whom he obtained the cocaine.
“The whole issue at trial would have been, ‘Is it his dope?’” Powell said.
Kessel said he didn’t believe the cocaine was Ali’s but the issue in court was whether he had control over it and if he knew it was there.
“That quantity of drugs just doesn’t appear,” he said. “He didn’t talk about other people involved... with this type of organization there are many links in the chain and often times they take the fall for the higher-ups.
“He’s not going to get the snitch jacket which can be a big problem for his life and safety in prison,” Kessel added. “He was not the owner, he was just storing it.”
Powell said he is pleased with the deal, despite that he offered eight years but then compromised to a year less.
“He accepted responsibility early,” he said. “He got out of it early.”
Kessel said under the circumstances, Ali also was agreeable to the plea.
“It’s a big shock for a young man who’s never done any time,” he said. “He received a very fair settlement.”
“It’s a big shock for a young man who’s never done any time. He received a very fair settlement.” — — ALEX KESSEL Attorney
A resident of the 12-unit condominium complex, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Ali had just moved in a week prior to his arrest. Movers came last week to pick up Ali’s belongings and shipped them to Canada, the resident said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 4, 2003. Read the original PDF.