The former chief operating officer of the National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) pleaded guilty on Tuesday, 29 July 2014 to US charges that he conspired with drug traffickers to transport cocaine into the United States.
At a hearing in US district court in Manhattan, Francisco Hiraldo Guerrero, 54, admitted being part of the traffickers’ conspiracy. He said he had reached an agreement with prosecutors and was waiving his right to a trial.
Hiraldo Guerrero had pleaded not guilty to the charges last year.
Prosecutors alleged that Hiraldo Guerrero used his position at the Dominican Republic’s National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) to protect cocaine shipments, including some to New York.
About 6% of the cocaine that is smuggled to North America and Europe passes through the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, according to the US State Department’s 2014 narcotics control report.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic arrested Hiraldo Guerrero in October 2012, and he was later extradited to New York to face US charges.
He faces a prison sentence of at least 10 years under US law. He also agreed to forfeit about US$1 million to the US government.
US District Judge John Keenan said he would sentence Hiraldo Guerrero on 3 November 2014.
http://news.yahoo.com/ex-dominican-anti-drug-official-pleads-guilty-drug-213823083.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/29/us-usa-courts-guerrero-idUSKBN0FY2CT20140729