Federal Judge Finds DEA Used
Paid ''Sub-Informants'' to Entrap Their Friends?
Posted by goforlaw
on Thursday, May 13 @ 17:43:17 PDT
Contributed by goforlaw
In a stunning revelation, which may have far reaching consequences
on drug cases in Southern California, it was discovered that
the DEA and other local law enforcement agencies have been
subsidizing an unofficial and secret drug informant "ring."
Apparently, "confidential sub-informants" were paid to deliver
successful drug transactions and may have entrapped people
into criminal activities.
To make matters look even more sinister, the Government is
refusing to produce records concerning the "ring's" functions
and activities in Southern California . Consequently, a criminal
indicment against 3 defendants for drug trafficking was recently
thrown out by a Federal Judge. The Government denied knowing
about the use of confidential "sub-informants," but the Judge
found this claim to be "highly unlikely" and "repeatedly proven
to be unrealiable.
As a paid informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration,
Guillermo Francisco Jordan-Pollito has achieved a remarkable
record of success. Over the last 10 years, according to his
own testimony in Los Angeles federal court, the former Mexican
police officer has earned more than $400,000 in cash helping
the DEA, the FBI, the Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms, the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement,
the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, and the Santa Ana Police
Department put together numerous cases against suspected sellers
of cocaine, methamphetamines and other illicit drugs.
There's just one thing missing from that picture. The DEA's
star undercover operative used a stable of his own paid informants
to assist him in setting up drug buys, a fact that was kept
from defense lawyers in an undetermined number of those cases.
Incredibly, these "sub-informants" were paid only if they
successfully set up a "buy," fueling charges of entrapment.
The network encouraged people to contact former "school days"
friends and ask them where to buy drugs, which was allegedly
for their "boss." Arguably, these practices may lead an otherwise
law abiding citizen to criminally aid an "old school friend"
set up a drug buy, especially after repeated pressure and
phone calls.
In the case at issue, there was evidence of numerous phone
calls between these "sub-informants" and defendants. However,
none of these set-ups were recorded, leading to "an inference
that pressure was being brought to bear by the sub-informant,
which could have been used to support an entrapment defense."
Ronald O. Kaye, a former federal public defender now in private
practice, uncovered Jordan-Pollito's use of "sub-informants"
last year after combing through telephone records turned over
to him by federal prosecutors in a methamphetamine-trafficking
case.
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper stated: "A law enforcement
agency must not be allowed to shield itself from accountability
by hiring someone outside of law enforcement who is free to
violate citizens' rights."
For further information, read the Order
Dismissing Indictment in the U.S. v. Alvarez
case
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