Submitted at 4:20 PM August 5, 2011
Fox News on August 5, 2011 released thefollowing:“By William LajeunesseAmerica’s Third War: The U.S. Cut aDeal With the Sinaloa Cartel, Say CourtDocumentsU.S. federal agents allegedly cut a dealwith the Sinaloa drug cartel that allowed itto traffic tons of narcotics across theborder, in exchange for information aboutrival cartels, according to documents filedin federal court. Click here to view the Sinaloa Cartel casedocument.The allegations are made by VicenteZambada-Niebla, a top ranking cartel bossextradited to the U.S. last year on drugcharges. He is a close associate of Mexico’s most wanted man, Joaquin “ElChapo” Guzman and the son of Ismael“Mayo” Zambada-Garcia.Both remain fugitives, in part, because of the deal Zambada- Niebla made with theU.S. Drug Enforcement Agency,according to a defense motion filed lastFriday in the case.Alvin Michaelson, the Los Angelesattorney representing Zambada- Nieblawho wrote the brief, refused comment.The deal allegedly began with HumbertoLoya-Castro, a Sinaloa cartel lawyer whobecame an informant for the D.E.A. aftera drug case against him was dismissed in2008.According to the motion, the deal waspart of a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy,where the U.S. helped finance and arm theSinaloa cartel, through Operation Fast andFurious, in exchange for information thatallowed the D.E.A. and FBI to destroy anddismantle rival Mexican cartels. OperationFast and Furious is the failed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms andExplosives anti-gun trafficking programwhich allowed thousand of guns to crossinto Mexico.“Under that agreement, the Sinaloa Cartel,through Loya, was to provide informationaccumulated by Mayo, Chapo, and others,against rival Mexican Drug TraffickingOrganizations to the United Statesgovernment. In return, the United Statesgovernment agreed to dismiss theprosecution of the pending case againstLoya, not to interfere with his drugtrafficking activities and those of theSinaloa Cartel, to not actively prosecutehim, Chapo, Mayo, and the leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel, and to not apprehendthem.”Zambada- Niebla was arrested in MexicoCity in March 2009 and extradited to theU.S. in February to stand trial on narco-trafficking-related charges. Theindictment claims he served as the cartel’s“logistical coordinator” who oversaw anoperation that imported tons of cocaineinto the U.S. by jets, buses, rail cars,tractor-trailers, and automobiles. Zambada-Niebla is now being held in solitaryconfinement in a Chicago jail cell.The motion claims Mayo, Chapo andZambada- Niebla routinely passedinformation through Loya to the D.E.A.that allowed it to make drug busts. Inreturn, the U.S. helped the leaders evadeMexican police.It says: “In addition, the defense hasevidence that from time to time, theleadership of the Sinaloa Cartel wasinformed by agents of the DEA throughLoya that United States governmentagents and/or Mexican authorities wereconducting investigations near the hometerritories of cartel leaders so that thecartel leaders could take appropriateactions to evade investigators- eventhough the United States government hadindictments, extradition requests, andrewards for the apprehension of Mayo,Chapo, and other alleged leaders, as wellas Mr. Zambada-Niebla.”In 2008, “the DEA representative toldMr. Loya-Castro that they wanted toestablish a more personal relationshipwith Mr. Zambada-Niebla so that theycould deal with him directly.”In March 17, 2009, Loya set up a meetingat the Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City withtwo D.E.A. agents, identified as Mannyand David. There, the four men met andZambada-Niebla claims he receivedimmunity from an indictment out of federal court in Washington D.C.“There is also evidence that at the hotel,Mr. Zambada-Niebla did accept theagreement and thereafter in reliance onthat agreement, provided furtherinformation regarding rival drug cartels.Mr. Zambada-Niebla was told that thegovernment agents were satisfied with theinformation he had provided to them andthat arrangements would be made to meetwith him again. Mr. Zambada-Niebla thenleft the meeting. Approximately five hoursafter the meeting, Mr. Zambada-Nieblawas arrested by Mexican authorities.”Experts who reviewed the document saythe U.S. typically has written agreementswith paid informants that spell out eachother’s responsibilities. They doubtZambada-Niebla had one, although Loyaprobably did. The defense here is hopingto obtain DEA reports that detail theagencies relationship with the Sinaloacartel and get the agents on the stand.In response in court, the U.S. doesn’tdispute that Zambada-Niebla may haveacted as an informant – only that he didnot act with D.E.A. consent.The D.E.A. and the federal prosecutors inChicago had no comment.Former D.E.A. director Karen Tandy toldFox News “I do not have any knowledgeof this and it doesn’t sound right from myexperience.””To find additional federal criminal news,please readFederal Criminal DefenseDaily.Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and writeextensively on matters involving FederalCriminal Defense, INTERPOL RedNotice Removal, International Extraditionand OFAC SDN List Removal.The author of this blog is DouglasMcNabb. Please feel free to contact himdirectly atmcnabb@mcnabbassociates.comor at oneof the offices listed above.
Submitted at 3:38 PM August 5, 2011
Robert Colbert, of Pittsburgh, pleadedguilty today in federal court to charges of conspiring to conduct a racketeeringenterprise.
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Pedro Martinez III, Former Laredo PoliceOfficer, Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy toPossess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine
Submitted at 10:12 AM August 5, 2011
The U.S. Attorney’s Office SouthernDistrict of Texas on August 4, 2011released the following:“Former Laredo Police Officer Sentencedto Prison for Drug TraffickingLAREDO, Texas – Former Laredo PoliceDepartment (LPD) officer Pedro MartinezIII was sentenced to prison today bySenior U.S. District Judge George P.Kazen for conspiracy to possess withintent to distribute cocaine, United StatesAttorney José Angel Moreno announcedtoday.Charged along with co-conspiratorGuillermo Villarreal of conspiring topossess with intent to distribute more thanfive kilograms of cocaine, Martinez, 34,of Laredo, pleaded guilty on Feb. 17,2010, to that offense and also toconspiring with former LPD officer,Orlando Jesus Hale, to accept bribes toescort cocaine-loaded vehicles throughLaredo. Today, Judge Kazen sentencedMartinez to 78 months in federal prison tobe followed by a five-year-term of supervised release.At the time of his guilty plea, Martinezadmitted that he introduced Villarreal,who he knew was engaged in traffickingcocaine, to another person for Villarreal towork out arrangements to store cocaine atthe person’s residence. The residence waslocated near Villarreal’s residence andfacilitated his cocaine traffickingactivities. Villarreal made several sales of cocaine to undercover officers. Each time,Villarreal retrieved the cocaine from thestorage facility owned by the person towhom Martinez had introduced him. OnSept. 29, 2009, investigating agentsexecuted a warrant at the person’sresidence located near Villarreal’sresidence and seized approximately threekilograms of cocaine, a metal press usedto press cocaine into kilogram-size bricksplus other narcotics traffickingparaphernalia such as scales, a blenderand plastic wrap. Villarreal, who has alsopleaded guilty to the drug conspiracycharge, is pending sentencing.Martinez also admitted conspiring withformer LPD officer Hale to escort cocaine-loaded vehicles through Laredo. Theofficers used their police-issued radios tomonitor LPD dispatch traffic during theescort. In 2008, Martinez met with an FBIundercover employee (UCE) and agreedto and did escort two vehicle – on Oct. 15,2008, and again on Nov. 13, 2008, – thathe believed contained approximately 20kilograms of actual cocaine. Hale wasinvolved in escorting the loaded vehicle inNovember. During each escort, Martinezactually escorted a “sham” load of cocainefrom south Zapata Highway to northLaredo. For each escort, Martinez waspaid $1,000 by an FBI UCE. Hale wascharged separately for his role in thisconspiracy and convicted in September2010 by a jury’s verdict following a six-day trial of conspiracy to possess withintent to distribute cocaine and carrying afirearm during and in relation to a drugtrafficking offense. He was sentenced onApril 19, 2011, to a total of 295 months infederal prison without parole and fined$1000.Martinez has been permitted to remain onbond pending the issuance of a courtorder to surrender to a Bureau of Prisonsfacility to be designated in the near futurewhere he will serve his sentence.The investigation leading to the chargesand ultimately the conviction of Martinezand the others was conducted by the FBI,Drug Enforcement Administration, theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearmsand Explosives and Homeland SecurityInvestigations with the cooperation of theLaredo Police Department. FormerAssistant United States Attorney SamuelSheldon and Assistant U.S. AttorneysRoberto F. Ramirez and James McAlisterprosecuted the case.”To find additional federal criminal news,please readFederal Criminal Defense
Daily.Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and writeextensively on matters involving FederalCriminal Defense, INTERPOL RedNotice Removal, International Extraditionand OFAC SDN List Removal.The author of this blog is DouglasMcNabb. Please feel free to contact himdirectly atmcnabb@mcnabbassociates.comor at oneof the offices listed above.
The Incorporation Transparencyand Law EnforcementAssistance Act: Another Tool toFight Transnational Crime
Submitted at 7:51 AM August 5, 2011
Around the globe today, criminals areseeking to exploit the lack of transparencyassociated with U.S. companies to harmour national and economic security. Majordrug trafficking cartels, arms traffickersand other criminal organizations haveemployed shell corporations to furthertheir illegal activities and launder their ill-gotten proceeds. The Department of Justice joins our partners at [...]
Two TelecommunicationsExecutives Convicted by MiamiJury on All Counts for TheirInvolvement in Scheme to BribeOfficials at State-OwnedTelecommunications Companyin Haiti
Submitted at 12:33 PM August 5, 2011
Joel Esquenazi and Carlos Rodriguez,former executives of TerraTelecommunications Corp., have beenconvicted by a federal jury for their rolesin a scheme to pay bribes to Haitiangovernment officials atTelecommunications D’Haiti S.A.M.
Submitted at 2:45 PM August 5, 2011
A federal jury today convicted fiveofficers from the New Orleans PoliceDepartment on 25 counts in connectionwith the federal prosecution of a police-involved shooting on the Danziger Bridgein the days after Hurricane Katrina and anextensive cover-up of those shootings.
Submitted at 10:15 AM August 5, 2011
The United States has filed a lawsuitseeking to stop Lakeisha Pearson frompreparing federal tax returns for others.
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August 5, 2011 - The Federal Crimes Watch Daily
The Federal Crimes Watch Daily is a daily newspaper that discusses current federal criminal issues written by a federal criminal defense attorney.
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