Woman sentenced in cocaine smuggling case

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - A woman who helped transport $1 million worth of cocaine was sentenced to a maximum of life in prison. <br> <br> Police arrested Jennifer LaPorte, 26, of Norcross, Ga., after confiscating 50 pounds of cocaine in a house raid and discovering 17 cocaine bricks wrapped in aluminum foil and plastic. <br> <br> ``She&#39;s cleaned her act up,&#39;&#39; LaPorte&#39;s lawyer, Theodore Clements, said in court Tuesday. <br> <br> LaPorte, who pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted possession of a controlled substance, must serve at least three years in state prison before being eligible for parole. <br> <br> LaPorte was one of four people arrested in May 2001 that also included her husband, Hector LaPorte, 48, of Schenectady. <br> <br> ``She was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong guy. But for the fact that her husband decided to steal all these drugs, she would have never been in this,&#39;&#39; Clements said. <br> <br> Hector LaPorte, who pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, faces 16 years to life in prison. Hector Torres, 35, of Rochester, faces 16.5 years to life in prison and Marisol Santiago, 20, of Rochester, is serving three to nine years.