A felon who was one of the largest cocaine distributors in a conspiracy case involving Leo Sharp, the 87-year-old drug courier whose crimes inspired the 2018 Hollywood film “The Mule,” is in trouble again and accused of owning a chop shop in Detroit.

David Jurado, 44, is awaiting trial in federal court on charges that include smuggling automotive parts and altering Vehicle Identification Numbers in what amounts to an alleged return to crime for a fringe figure in one of the most infamous drug conspiracies in modern Metro Detroit history. His prior trip through the federal court system involved Mexico's most powerful drug cartel, more than half a million dollars hidden in a Downriver home and a secret inside a hollowed-out children's book.

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