In Tulia, Texas, 47 people were arrested for dealing cocaine; years later, 35 of the 47 were pardoned by the Governor of Texas.
Tulia, Texas
Tulia is a city in and the county seat of Swisher County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,967 at the 2010 census; by the 2020 census, it had fallen to 4,473. The city is at the junction of U.S. Route 87 and Texas State Highway 86, about 2 miles (3 km) east of Interstate 27. Tulia is a center for farming and agribusiness activities.
1999 Tulia drug arrests
A total of 47 individuals, the majority of whom were African American, were arrested in 1999 in Tulia, Texas on charges of cocaine dealing as a result of an undercover operation carried out by agent Tom Coleman. Coleman's testimony was crucial in the convictions of 38 of the 47. Years later, 35 of the 38 incarcerated were pardoned by Texas governor Rick Perry.
Cocaine
Cocaine is a central nervous system stimulant and tropane alkaloid derived primarily from the leaves of two coca species native to South America: Erythroxylum coca and E. novogranatense. Coca leaves are processed into cocaine paste, a crude mix of coca alkaloids which cocaine base is isolated and converted to cocaine hydrochloride, commonly known as "cocaine". Cocaine was once a standard topical medication as a local anesthetic with intrinsic vasoconstrictor activity, but its high abuse potential, adverse effects, and cost have limited its use and led to its replacement by other medicines. "Cocaine and its combinations" are formally excluded from the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.
Pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the jurisdiction.