Arrested Julian Burford and Turner D. Williams after officers from Cleveland, Bedford and Garfield Heights seized 70 pounds of cocaine that police said had a street value of $5 million. Investigators learned during a three-month joint investigation that the shipment would be delivered from California to Cleveland. Police worked with federal authorities to track the shipment. The Iowa State Highway Patrol seized it Thursday and turned it over to Cleveland police. Both men are in Cleveland City Jail for investigation of aggravated drug trafficking. No charges have been filed. Burford, 40, won the local Golden Gloves boxing tournament and twice advanced to the semifinals of the national tournament, where he notched a win over future middleweight world champion Jermain Taylor. Burford then turned pro, compiling a record of 12-2 with 10 knockouts. He lost his last professional fight in 2005. Johnny Avon, one of Burford's former trainers, said the boxer could have been a star. "It's unfortunate," Avon said about the arrest. "He had the potential to be great." Burford faced drug charges before. In 2001, federal authorities accused him of operating a cocaine pipeline between Cleveland and Detroit. He was convicted of drug trafficking in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in 1992 and spent two years in prison, according to state records. Williams was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon in 1999, records show.
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