Ignatius Red v. Frank Blackburn, Warden Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, La.

Ignatius Red appeals the District Court’s denial of his habeas corpus petition. Red was accused of participating in the sale of a quantity of heroin to an undercover narcotics officer for $225 in 1973. In 1975, after an initial mistrial, Red was convicted for distribution of heroin, which conviction was affirmed on appeal. State v. Lewis, 354 So.2d 566 (La.1978). Red, 20 years old at the time of the offense.and with no prior criminal record, was sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment under Louisiana law, and is presently incarcerated in the Angola State Penitentiary. Because the only claim…