The Listin Diario publishes today a front-page photograph of former President Hipolito Mejia and Bladimir Andres Garcia Jimenez. Garcia is accused by the US Drug Enforcement Administration of being a close associate of arrested Quirino Paulino Castillo, accused in the DR of a 1,3870-kilo cocaine shipment, and in a New York court of of drug smuggling and money laundering.
In the 21 June 2000 edition of the Listin Diario society magazine “Ritmo Social,” then President-elect Mejia and Garcia are pictured at a benefit dinner sponsored by the construction company “Garcia Construcciones.” Mejia had won the presidency in the 16 May 2000 election.
Garcia would later receive large construction contracts from the Mejia administration. His company benefited from US$13 million in contracts for multi-use buildings as part of a US$61 million dollar loan program endorsed by the US export credit agency, Eximbank.