Agents would help, Harold Mauricio Poveda-Ortega, also known as “The Rabbit” launder money, through wire transfers and smuggling and even helped Poveda-Ortega ship and even escorted a cocaine shipment of 330 kilograms to Madrid in order to infiltrate his organization.

The New York Times reports:

The more the money flowed, the stronger the relationship became between the informants and the traffickers. In one candid conversation, the traffickers boasted about who was able to move the biggest loads of money, the way fishermen brag about their catches. One said he could easily move $4 million to $5 million a month. Then the others spoke about the tricks of the trade, including how they had used various methods, including prepaid debit cards and an Herbalife account, to move the money.

The next day, the informant was summoned to his first meeting in Mexico City with Mr. Poveda-Ortega and Mr. Beltran Leyva, who asked him to help them ship a 330-kilogram load to Spain from Ecuador. The documents say the shipment was transported over two weeks in October, with undercover Ecuadorean agents retrieving the cocaine from a tour bus in Quito and American agents testing its purity in Dallas before sending it on to Madrid.

Read More At The New York Times

See also: Why The Government Is Ramping Up The Use Of Force

While DEA officials declined to discuss the details of the operation, citing concerns about compromising their investigations, critics say these efforts violate the law and are turning undercover agents into crime facilitators.

“My rule was that if we are going to launder money, we better show results. Otherwise, the D.E.A. could wind up being the largest money launderer in the business, and that money results in violence and deaths.”

Read more at the new York Times.

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New cables released by WikiLeaks show the extent of the DEA’s involvement with the worldwide drug trade as well as the extent of political corruption that drugs are causing in several countries.

One cable reported that the District Attorney of Sierra Leone offered a $2.5 million dollar bribe to free South American drug dealers. While another reported that the President of Panama demanded that the DEA go after his political enemies.

Another cable reported that the government of Guinea staged a burning of fake drugs while another claimed the Guinean President’s son was a major drug traficker.

WikiLeaks also released several cables dealing with countries like Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania that have becomse part of a pipeline for drugs from South America to Europe.

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TAMPA, Florida (AP) — Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the cocaine trial of Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton.

The four-time Grammy nominee’s trial will begin Monday in federal court in Tampa, Florida. He faces a possible life sentence if convicted.

Prosecutors say Banton and an associate negotiated with an informant to buy more than five kilograms of cocaine. Along with a third man, they allegedly met with an undercover officer in Sarasota in early December to buy the drugs. The informant told Drug Enforcement Administration agents that he also saw the singer inspecting the cocaine.

The other two men have pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Banton.

Banton’s attorneys say the government’s informant entrapped him.

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My buddy Ralph Drake sent out an e-mail of some information that he had picked up on thesmokinggun.com’s web page.

It turns out that the Justice Department is all set to hire a group of Ebonics experts that would be able to decipher all the lose drug talk they pick up when they’re bugging certain Black people’s phones.

While I took my normal route and lamented that there would be yet another, newer, more insidious way to snitch with neither regard nor reward, an unexpected e-debate broke out between a male friend and a female friend.

My female friend was of the position that Ebonics is pure fiction. She maintained that the very idea of Ebonics is yet just another attempt to distance Blacks from the mainstream by suggesting that they way that we speak English strays so far from the norm that, in truth, it should be considered another language entirely.

My male friend chalked Ebonics up to Blacks’ inherent resistance to ever being totally conditioned by Europeans. He believes that Blacks created Ebonics intentionally as a continued rebellion, even if only a subtle one.

I have to admit, this wasn’t what I was expecting all that. I was expecting more commentary on the fact that the Justice Department is stooping so low.

I’m still trying to picture the guy that actually interviews for this gig!

So as usually, when a debate breaks out that catches me completely off guard, I was totally unprepared to take my own position and chose a side.

I’m still not going to do it with my e-friends. I’m just going to read all the arguments and stockpile all the points made just in case I should have to wade into this debate in the future from either perspective.

But I could always use more good points.

So what’s your opinion?

Click here to view photos:

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RELATED:

DEA Seeks Ebonics Experts To Help Them With Cases

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Federal authorities searched the Las Vegas home of Michael Jackson’s personal doctor Tuesday and arrived at his medical office as part of a manslaughter investigation into the singer’s death.

Several Drug Enforcement Administration agents entered Dr. Conrad Murray’s sprawling home in a gated community, accompanied by uniformed Las Vegas police. A DEA agent and Las Vegas police also entered Murray’s medical offices in Las Vegas, Global Cardiovascular Associates.

Murray was Michael Jackson’s personal physician and was with Jackson when he died. Murray, who is based in Las Vegas and is licensed in California, Nevada and Texas, had his Houston office and a storage unit searched last week by DEA agents. Court records show they were seeking evidence of whether the doctor committed manslaughter.

Police say Murray is cooperating. They have not labeled him a suspect.

Toxicology reports are still pending, but investigators are working under the theory that the anesthetic propofol caused Jackson’s heart to stop, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Monday. Jackson is believed to have been using the powerful drug for about two years, and investigators are trying to determine how many other doctors administered it, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

The official said Jackson regularly received propofol and relied on it like an alarm clock. A doctor would administer it when Jackson went to sleep, then stop the IV drip when the singer wanted to wake up.

The day Jackson died, Murray gave him the drug through an IV sometime after midnight, the official said.

Murray’s lawyer, Edward Chernoff, has said the doctor “didn’t prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Michael Jackson.” Asked about the law enforcement official’s statements he said: “We will not be commenting on rumors, innuendo or unnamed sources.”

In a more detailed statement posted online, Chernoff added that “things tend to shake out when all the facts are made known, and I’m sure that will happen here as well.”

Murray, 51, became Jackson’s personal physician in May and was to accompany him to London for a series of concerts starting in July.

He was staying with Jackson in the Los Angeles mansion and, according to Chernoff, “happened to find” an unconscious Jackson in the pop star’s bedroom the morning of June 25. Murray tried to revive him by compressing his chest with one hand while supporting Jackson’s back with the other.

The law enforcement official also provided a glimpse into how the pop star was living in the weeks before he died, describing the room in which Jackson slept in his rented Beverly Hills mansion as outfitted with oxygen tanks and an IV drip.

Police found propofol and other drugs in the home. An IV line and three tanks of oxygen were in the room where Jackson slept and 15 more oxygen tanks were in a security guard’s shack, the official said.

Using propofol to sleep exceeds the drug’s intended purpose. The drug can depress breathing and lower heart rates and blood pressure. Because of the risks, propofol is supposed to be administered only in medical settings by trained personnel.

From My Fox Houston

The Drug Enforcement Administration is conducting a raid on the Acres Homes office of Dr. Conrad Murray, FOX 26 News has learned.

Murray has been thrust into national attention as the attending physician who was with Michael Jackson on the day he died.

Investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department and agents from the DEA conducted an investigation on Tuesday in Las Vegas, where Murray also has an office location, according to a FOXNews.com report.

Police outside Neverland Ranch

The circumstances surrounding Michael Jackson’s death have become a federal issue, with the Drug Enforcement Administration asked to help police take a look at the pop star’s doctors and possible drug use.

Following Jackson’s death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants.

The DEA was asked to help the probe by the Los Angeles Police Department, a law enforcement official in Washington told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.

The federal agency can provide resources and experience in investigating drug abuse, illicit drug manufacturers known as “pill mills” and substances local police may not be familiar with, the official said Wednesday.

While the investigation into the singer’s death deepened, passionateMichael Jackson fans spent another day in an uneasy limbo, awaiting word from the King of Pop‘s camp about where and when a memorial service might be held for their hero — and if they’re even invited.

Speculation about the potential location of a memorial ricocheted during the day from the Staples Center to the Los Angeles Coliseum to the Nokia Theater.

One spot that was ruled out as an immediate memorial venue was Jackson’s sprawling Neverland ranch in Santa Barbara County. Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said a public memorial was in the works for Jackson but it wouldn’t be held at Neverland.

That came as a blow to many Jackson fans who had already descended on the estate in the rolling hills near Santa Barbara with the hope of attending a public viewing.

“We’re terribly disappointed,” said Ida Barron, 44, who arrived with her husband Paul Barron, 56, intending to spend several days in a tent.

It appeared more likely that a funeral and burial would take place in Los Angeles, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

Many of Jackson’s die-hard fans refused to believe that the family would bury their most famous son without acknowledging the supporters who helped propel him to superstardom.

“I can’t believe they wouldn’t do something for his fans,” said Rosie Padron, who had roped off a spot just outside the Neverland gates. “Michael loved his fans.”

New Yorkers weren’t willing to wait. The weekly Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater turned into a Jackson celebration, with impersonators emulating his outfits and mimicking his dance moves.

Allison Hector, who wore a T-shirt with the image of the “Thriller” album cover, ecstatically emulated moves she learned watching Jackson’s music videos.

“Nobody moves like him,” the 19-year-old said, her eyes filling with tears. “I feel it in my blood — I just can’t help it!”

On the legal front, Jackson’s 7-year-old will was filed Wednesday in a Los Angeles court, giving his entire estate to a family trust and naming his 79-year-old mother Katherine and his three children as beneficiaries. The will also estimates the current value of his estate at more than $500 million.

Katherine Jackson was appointed the children’s guardian, with entertainer Diana Ross, a longtime friend ofMichael Jackson, named successor guardian if something happens to his mother. A court will ultimately decide who the children’s legal guardian will be.

Jackson’s lawyer John Branca and family friend John McClain, a music executive, were named in the will as co-executors of his estate. In a statement, they said the most important element of the will was Jackson’s steadfast desire that his mother become the legal guardian for his children.

“As we work to carry out Michael’s instructions to safeguard both the future of his children as well as the remarkable legacy he left us as an artist, we ask that all matters involving his estate be handled with the dignity and the respect that Michael and his family deserve,” the statement said.

The will doesn’t name father Joe Jackson to any position of authority in administering the estate. Also shut out is ex-wife Debbie Rowe, the mother of his two oldest children.

The executors moved quickly to take control of all of Michael Jackson’s property, going to court hours after filing the will to challenge a previous ruling that gave Katherine Jackson control of 2,000 items from Neverland.

Paul Gordon Hoffman, an attorney for the executors, told Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff his clients are the proper people to take over Jackson’s financial affairs. He called Katherine Jackson’s speed in getting limited power over her son’s property “a race to the courthouse that is, frankly, improper.”

Judge Beckloff urged attorneys from both sides to try to reach a compromise. A hearing on the estate was set for Monday.

The will, dated July 7, 2002, gives the entire estate to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. Details of the trust will not be made public.

Jackson owns a 50 percent stake in the massive Sony-ATV Music Publishing Catalog, which includes music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers.

Jackson, who died June 25 at age 50, left behind three children: son Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11; and son Prince Michael II, 7. Rowe was the mother of the two oldest children; the youngest was born to a surrogate mother, who has never been identified.

Rowe, who was married to Jackson in 1996 and filed for divorce three years later, surrendered her parental rights. An appeals court later found that was done in error, and Rowe and Jackson entered an out-of-court settlement in 2006.

Neither Rowe nor her attorneys have indicated whether she intends to seek custody of the two oldest children.

Since the New York Times is running a story on Cindy McCain’s drug addiction, here’s the story we did a few months back on it.

From 1989 to 1992, Cindy McCain was a drug addict. She was addicted to Percoset and Vicodin. Rather than go to a street dealer or doctor shop like Rush Limbaugh, McCain stole pills from the charity she founded. McCain had founded The American Voluntary Medical Team, a relief organization whose purpose was to aid Third World countries.

The DEA audited her charity and found irregularities which prompted an investigation. A former employee, Tom Gosinski, was the one who tipped off the DEA to check out her organization. Gosinski said he was fired from the organization because he knew too much about Cindy McCain’s drug habit. Gosinski claims McCain would illegally obtain these drugs by using the names of her employees and the charity she founded. So Cindy McCain used pills meant to ease the suffering of starving African children for her own personal drug use.

Gosinski would write about Cindy’s drug addiction in his journal, which he shared with The Phoenix New Times.

July 27, 1992: I have always wondered why John McCain has done nothing to fix the problem. He must either not see that a problem exists or does not choose to do anything about it……. In reality, I am working for a very sad, lonely woman whose marriage of convenience to a U.S. Senator has driven her to: distance herself from friends; cover feelings of despair with drugs; and replace lonely moments with self-indulgences. I do not know what Cindy is up to but it appears as though she is trying to use several doctors’ DEA #’s so that she can acquire drugs for personal use

September 29, 1992: Regardless of what happens with Cindy McCain, it is time for me to get out of AVMT. I have so little respect for Cindy and her objectives–she has made AVMT a media event–that even under the best of circumstances I do not think this organization merits existence. . . .

October 2, 1992: Well, it is done. Last night Jim and Smitty confronted Cindy regarding her dependency to prescription drugs and she admitted to her addiction. I understand that she told the Hensleys her addiction was rooted in her unhappiness–her marriage–and that she took the pills to mask her depression. The Hensleys told Cindy they knew she had a problem because of her severe mood swings and her change in character. They also said her meanness towards others was not excusable and must stop. . . .

When Cindy was eventually caught by the DEA, she confessed to them and reporters that she was a drug addict. Despite the severity of her crime, she was let off the hook on the condition that she underwent treatment. McCain was painted as a ‘courageous soldier beating back the devil of drug addiction.’ Cindy McCain blamed her drug addiction on stress over the Keating 5 scandal her husband went through.

How can McCain and the right wing media portray Cindy McCain as a courageous soldier fighting against drug addiction, while locking up millions of others who fight against drug addiction? Surely, working class Americans who have to struggle to pay bills and live are subject to the same depression billionaire heiresses are! Working class people don’t have charities to steal from to feed their drug addictions. They get there crack, coke, weed and heroin off the street. Shouldn’t they receive the same treatment for their drug addiction as Cindy McCain? They bought drugs off the street; she stole them from suffering Africans: is there real difference in their crimes?

Is there a double standard for rich pill popping heiresses and regular working class people with drug addictions? What does it say about John McCain that he didn’t even know his wife had a drug problem? Given that McCain has lived with someone who has struggled with drugs, shouldn’t McCain’s policies towards drug addicts be more lenient?

The recent revelation that John McCain didn’t know how many houses he had posed many questions to me. Given that McCain has so much money and he’s such a great person, what are his philanthropic contributions? Is he giving money to fight AIDS in Africa? Since he admires civil rights leaders so much, is he giving to the United Negro College Fund? Maybe he’s donating to funds for disabled veterans or POW’s given his background.

McCain has net assets of between 20 and 32 million dollars. How much of that money went to charity? Less than a million. What charity did he donate to? His own. What does his charity do? Give money to the elite private schools his kids attended. McCain received tax deductions for giving money for helping the rich white private schools his kids attended.

What does this have to say about McCain’s priorities, especially in a slumping economy? AIDS in Africa is not as important as the need for his kids to have an extra swimming pool at their private school. The failing public school system doesn’t matter when his kids need new boats for their crew team. Disabled and homeless vets aren’t important when his daughter can’t take a class trip to the Bahamas.

You can learn a lot about McCain’s priorities from his charitable donations. He’s not concerned about poverty; domestic or world, he’s not concerned with education, other than that of over-privileged white children and he’s not concerned with the struggles of veterans unless he’s trying to exploit them for political gain. McCain’s tax plan is quite similar to his charitable donations, ignoring the poor and needy while giving money to the rich and over-priveleged.

While the vast majority of McCain’s charitable tax deductions have gone to elite private schools, a little bit of the money has gone to other places. In 1994 Cindy McCain admitted that she solicited painkillers from physicians who worked for her charity. Mrs. McCain was investigated by the DEA after a member of her charity let them know about her indiscretions.

Despite the fact that his wife struggled with drug addiction, McCain has been a hawk in the war on drugs, advocating for stricter drug laws and penalties for both users and sellers. I guess its okay to get high if you exploit your wealth and position in a charity to get drugs but if you a working class person looking for cheap high, you got to go to jail. Still I can understand why Cindy McCain was on drugs. If I was a woman with a hot tempered husband who called me a cunt and volunteered me to be in a wet t-shirt contest, I’d be on drugs to.

If McCain really understood and cared about what’s really going on in the economy, what poor working class people were going through and was a compassionate person, wouldn’t he give some of that money to a charity that actually helps people who are struggling? Not over-privileged rich kids, his children included, or one that helps his wife get pills for her drug addiction?