Posted on 02/27/2007 3:21:08 AM PST by calcowgirl
The Mexican national shot by two Border Patrol agents in a drug-related incident in February 2005 brought a second van load of drugs into the U.S. while he waited to testify against the agents, according to Drug Enforcement Administration reports obtained by the Daily Bulletin.
Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila - who was given immunity by U.S. prosecutors in exchange for testifying against former agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean - is the focus of a November 2005 DEA report that identifies him as the person responsible for stashing more than 750 pounds of marijuana in a van parked at a house in Clint, Texas, in October of that year.
"(A witness) stated that Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila was the individual that dropped off the 1990 Chevy Astro van," according to the DEA document. "This van contained approximately 6 bundles of marijuana."
DEA interviews with the Clint house's owner, Cipriano Ortiz-Hernandez, led to Ortiz-Hernandez's brother, Jose Ortiz, who told DEA agents that Aldrete-Davila had moved the narcotics from Juarez to El Paso, adding that the van Aldrete-Davila was driving needed work, so he referred him to his mechanic brother, Cipriano.
"Jose Ortiz thought for a minute, and then stated that we should know Davila's identity because he is the person who was shot by Border Patrol agents six months ago," the report states.
Cipriano Ortiz-Hernandez also identified Aldrete-Davila as the van's driver after seeing a photo array, according to the DEA documents.
Aldrete-Davila was shot in the buttocks after fleeing a van filled with marijuana and running away from Border Patrol agents in a February 2005 incident near Fabens, Texas, about seven miles from Clint.
Ramos and Compean are now serving 11 and 12 years, respectively, in federal prison after being convicted in March 2006 of assault with a deadly weapon, attempting to cover up their actions, and violating Aldrete-Davila's civil rights.
Both men testified that they thought Aldrete had a gun in his hand while they were chasing him, and feared for their lives when they fired on him.
Aldrete-Davila was given immunity to testify against the agents, along with a special border crossing pass and free medical treatment at a U.S. Army medical center.
Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, whose office prosecuted Ramos and Compean, has denied numerous times that Aldrete-Davila brought a second load of narcotics into the United States after being granted immunity.
Sutton said in a Jan. 17 "Myths vs. Reality" press release that "Aldrete has not been subsequently arrested for drug smuggling. Our office is in the business of prosecuting drug traffickers and alien smugglers ... If we had a provable case against Aldrete, we would prosecute him."
Sutton's assertion that Aldrete-Davila has not been arrested is accurate. However, an Oct. 25, 2005, DEA report shows that DEA investigators believed they had sufficient evidence to indict Aldrete-Davila, but their requests to do so were denied by prosecutors.
According to a high-level source close to the investigation, Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Gregory was notified in October 2005 that Aldrete-Davila was being investigated by the DEA and that the agency had new evidence against him.
Gregory dismissed the warning, the source said.
Shana Jones, special assistant to Sutton, said she could not comment on Gregory's meeting with the DEA, or on the DEA documents.
"We have posted the transcript of the (agents') trial," Jones said. "We are not going to comment about matters that are under seal or are ongoing investigations."
PING!
What a bunch of ^%*&*&%%$#$#$ crap.
a congressman was on FNC 2 weeks ago talking about this
They were to busy tracking down that dangerous criminal Scooter Libby
Ping...time to ring Tony Snow?
Unbefreakinglievable.
Shana Jones, special assistant to Sutton, said she could not comment on Gregory's meeting with the DEA, or on the DEA documents.
"We have posted the transcript of the (agents') trial," Jones said. "We are not going to comment about matters that are under seal or are ongoing investigations."
They've run out of lies! Oh My!
*****Unbefreakinglievable.****
It is hard not to believe that there is a conspiracy between our government and the Mexican government to bring Mexicans and drugs into this country.
This conspiracy is not only in the White House,but on Capitol Hill.
We are being sold out for big business and their need for cheap labor. We are being sold out for rich drug dealers and their drug suppliers.
It is obvious if you stop believing the BS and face the facts.
Everyday I wake up with a new flying "F" YOU! in my face.
Well, that's because the request came from the wrong people. Johnny Sutton takes his orders from the Mexican Consul and the drug smugglers' friends in Washington ---
We're being sold out for votes from folks who will be sucking on the government teat for quite a while.
The story just keeps getting worse.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
My opinion of the Clinton Administration was it was the most lawless Administration in history: People were killed (Waco, Clinton Death List), and kidnapped (Elian Gonzalez).
This demonstrates that the Bush Administration is following the same path in order to achieve "One World"
They obviously aimed too low.
I would bet good money 'sutton' couldn't grant immunity to the drug dealer quick enough so he 'sutton' could send a message to the border patrol. 'sutton' is probably one of the dirties prosecutors in the U.S. 'sutton's' actions are those of a prosecutor on the take. IMHO
Jorge, paving the road for socialism in America. Wants rino Rudy to follow in his steps(notice Ruddy seems to be silent on the issue)and move in his wage slaves into America. Am I in the United States?
He did not. He said the man was not arrested, and not indicted. We know he was not arrested now that we see the story, and we know he was not indicted. Sutton did not lie, or deny the truth.
It looks like they are trying to put a case together against him. But they had only the testimony of a person caught with drugs, and that person's brother who is also apparently a drug smuggler (although why he would admit to that is strange, they wouldn't grant immunity to the person who supplies the drugs in order to prosecute the person who transports the drugs).
Anyway, I hope they have enough evidence to put him away for this case. It's sad when two BP agents charged with apprehending criminals fail to do so, and we have to count on known drug dealers to get the evidence to put them away. But maybe we will get lucky.
According to a high-level source close to the investigation, Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Gregory was notified in October 2005 that Aldrete-Davila was being investigated by the DEA and that the agency had new evidence against him.
the 2nd paragraph doesn't support the conclusion in the first paragraph. They don't provide a copy of the report, so we have no way of knowing if the report actually SAYS what Sarah claims, or if this is just another of her leaping to the conclusion she wants to draw.
The fact that she specifically said Sutton "repeatedly denied" something he never denied when in her own next paragraph she admits he was telling the truth shows how little credibility we can give to any of her other claims that are made without any published facts to back her up.
I hope they get enough evidence to put him away. However, the article only mentions two people who identify him as having transported drugs. He was not caught with the drugs -- one of the two men was. Davilas was known in the community by the time of this bust, his picture had been in the papers and the trial had gained national attention.
The article doesn't even mention that the report has evidence Davilas was in the country at the time. For all we know, the ONLY evidence the DEA had was the testimony of these two men, one of whom was caught with drugs, and the other who is his Brother.
So, how would Jose know about the drug smuggling? The article doesn't tell us that Jose is the one who sent the drugs into the country. For all we know, Jose only knows about this because his brother told him about it. Jose claims he told Davilas to see his brother to get his van fixed. That's a story meant to get his brother off for the drugs, by claiming his brother wasn't the one who was supposed to get the drugs.
Jose also says the van was driven from Jaurez to El Paso. But we don't find out if the van has american plates or not. If Davilas used his pass to drive through the border, there would be a record of the van, but the article doesn't mention it which suggests that wasn't in the report.
And the previous case suggested that the drugs are put in a van in the U.S. and the mules are sent over the border on foot to meet up with the van, I presume because it's hard to get a van across the river so it has to be driven through roads where BP agents are ready to pounce.
Anyway, once again the biased reporters spin stories trying to work up the opposition. The report simply expresses the statements made by a guy caught with drugs in his possession -- but the reporter says "the report claims" rather than "a person caught with drugs claims" which would be more truthful. "the report claims" suggest the result of an investigation where independent observers reach conclusions about the evidence, and there is no indication that conclusions were reached.
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