In Honduras Drug Trial, US Questions 1st Cooperator Leo Rivera, Met Fuentes With Guns
Leo Rivera has admitted to 78 murders; he's so far described meeting with Geovanny Fuentes in his gas station, with a lot of guns and promise of police protection for cocaine trafficking
By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 10 – The Honduras narco-trafficking trial of US v. Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez began on the morning of March 9. Inner City Press was there.
Inner City Press live tweeted the first opening argument here. And then the first witness, DEA Agent Brian Fairbanks, to the end of the day, here.
Geovanny Fuentes was sitting at the defense table, with two U.S. Marshals citing six feet behind him. The prosecutors were the table in front, closest to the judge.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge P. Kevin Castel has been asked about docuemnts still sealed in the record, and not yet provided. On the morning of March 10, the first cooperating witness: Leonel Rivera. Inner City Press live tweeted, here:
Next witness is... Devis Lionel Rivera.
AUSA: May Mr Rivera remove his face mask while he is in the box?
Judge Castel: Yes. Rivera: Buenas tardes, senor.
AUSA: Mr. Rivera, where to you live right now? Leo Rivera: En prision en Estados Unidos, senor. AUSA: How did you arrive in the US? Leo Rivera: Me entrege a los Estados Unidos en 2015, senor
Leo Rivera: Era un narco-traficante, senior, cocaina del sector de Colon.
AUSA: What's your mandatory minimum for your guilty plea? Leo Rivera: Vida mas trenta anos, senor.
AUSA: What was the name of the group you worked with? Leo Rivera: Los Cachiros. AUSA: Did you commit murders? How many? Leo Rivera: 78, senior.
AUSA: Do you know Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez? Leo Rivera: Si, senor. AUSA: What was your role in the Cachiros? Leo Rivera: Lider, senior. Con Javier Rivera, mi hermano.
AUSA: How much would a typical boatload of cocaine be? Leo Rivera: 1500 hasta 3000 kilos, senor. AUSA: Did you buy businesses with the drug money? Leo Rivera: Construction company, we got contracts with the government of Honduras.
AUSA: How would you use the companies to launder drug money? Leo Rivera: We invested in castle, in growing rice - then came the cosecha, we sold it to legal business for checks. The money was laundered.
AUSA: Did the Cachiros used weapons? What kinds? Leo Rivera: Armas de guerra. AR-15s, AK-47s, machine guns, grenade launchers, revolvers, among others
AUSA: Why was your relative called Metro? Leo Rivera: Because he hung around with the metropolitan police. AUSA: Involved in drugs? Leo Rivera: Yes. AUSA: Who did he say had been in Miami, and worked with authorities in Honduras on drugs? Rivera: Geovanny.
AUSA: Where did you meet Geovanny? Leo Rivera: First at a disco in Choloma. Then in a gas station I had, called Brisas del Mar. AUSA: Who was with you? Leo Rivera: Just Metro and the defendant.
AUSA: Did the defendant have anything? Leo Rivera: A Glock and two little rifles. Cut-down AR-15s. They were on the rear seat.
AUSA: What did you have? Leo Rivera: A nine millimeter 93-R, sir. AUSA: Were there other armed men? Leo Rivera: Yes. Each of us had security.
AUSA: What did the defendant tell you? Leo Rivera: That he had good contacts in the police, that he could arrange security for any cocaine I wanted to move.
AUSA: Did you make you a proposal? Leo Rivera: Yes. Judge Castel: We'll break here & leave you in suspense
The case is US v. Diaz, 15-cr-379 (Castel).
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