Former Us Official Arrested On Cocaine Smuggling Charges Options

[barney_rebel]

Former US official arrested on cocaine smuggling charges
11:58AM Saturday Sep 05, 2009

PHOENIX - A former high-ranking US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who was stationed in Mexico before retiring in 2007 has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the U.S.

Richard Padilla Cramer was arrested at his home in Green Valley, Arizona, 40 kilometres south of Tucson, and appeared before a federal judge, who denied bail.

No one answered the phone at Cramer's home and it was unclear whether or not he had a lawyer.

The charges stem from a US Drug Enforcement Agency investigation dating back to 2006.

Authorities say Cramer helped a large-scale drug trafficking organisation move cocaine into the United States, according to a criminal complaint made public Friday.

The complaint says that Cramer provided members of a drug smuggling organisation with information from confidential law enforcement databases that told them whether one of their members was a government informant.

The complaint also says Cramer and the smuggling organisation invested about $400,000 in a 300-kilogram shipment of cocaine that was seized in June 2007.

An informant told DEA agents that Cramer had "very powerful friends" among DEA agents in Mexico and a strong relationship with one particular member of the smuggling organisation, according to the complaint.

The complaint also says that during an August 2007 meeting, a member of the smuggling organization convinced Cramer to retire from ICE and begin working directly for the organisation in drug smuggling and money laundering.

The case is being handled by the US Attorney's Office in Miami, where federal prosecutors say the majority of the acts occurred. Authorities say Cramer will be extradited to Florida.

Cramer was the former resident agent in charge of the ICE office in Nogales in southern Arizona, according to agency spokesman Vincent Picard, who did not know how long Cramer worked there or how many agents he oversaw.

"It's a criminal complaint, not a conviction," Picard said.

An Associated Press investigation recently found that US law officers who work the border are being charged with criminal corruption in numbers not seen before, as drug and immigrant smugglers use money and sometimes sex to buy protection, and internal investigators crack down.

Based on Freedom of Information Act requests, interviews with sentenced agents and a review of court records, the AP tallied corruption-related convictions against more than 80 enforcement officials at all levels - federal, state and local - since 2007

It's unclear if any of them ranked as high as Cramer, and Picard said his agency did not have that information.

- AP

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/artic...jectid=10595385

[JimMac]

When i was living and working in a certain latin amer country, i was doing business with the son of a german family that escaped nazi germany in the 30's run up to war. He was very credible to me, and we worked together for about 6 months. His family, as the story went, came with some wealth and did well, eventually owning large tracts of farm land in the country. One day the goverment took over their property. The President's brother I think it was. Now according to the fellow there is an air strip on the farm property and the jet's come and go. He explained to me that they fly the stuff in on small jets with diplomatic immunity, into the SE US, where there is cover from above in the chain of command, the president's brother in the loop at their end, a US senator on the receiving end (i am sure he mentioned Az). At the time he explained the 60 yr history of his family's plight, immigrating, doing well, then losing their land to the local oligarchy and their working relationship to the drug cartel and so on, I wasn't really asking any questions. It seemed like a bit of a fantastic story at the time, but i listened with interest. Now, looking back, its seems like just another piece of the puzzle revealed. Of course this story is just hearsay, but its a life experience for me nevertheless.

This post has been edited by JimMac: Sep 7 2009, 02:41 PM

[Devilsadvocate]

Now, looking back, its seems like just another piece of the puzzle revealed. Of course this story is just hearsay, but its a life experience for me nevertheless.

Oh- I believe it.
Because they've been at that for a good while...

Take a look at this; it's somewhat overlong, but contains a good few bits and pieces:

http://pilotsfor911truth.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=6465

[JimMac]

Oh- I believe it.
Because they've been at that for a good while...

Take a look at this; it's somewhat overlong, but contains a good few bits and pieces:

http://pilotsfor911truth.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=6465

Holy crap! That's a lot of work you did... back to you in awhile (IMG:http://pilotsfor911truth.org/forum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[albertchampion]

if you are unaware of daniel hopsicker's work concerning this aspect of atta, shehi, i recommend his site to you.

http://www.madcowprod.com/reopen911.htm