Drug Enforcement Administration agents and their informants. Ambuila, 63, was extradited to the U. He faces up to 20 years in prison at an April sentencing. The proceedings had been expected to shed new light on a scandal that resulted in more than a dozen federal agents being disciplined or ousted from their jobs for a range of misconduct during DEA money laundering investigations around the world. Among the witnesses called to testify by the government was Jose Irizarry , a notoriously corrupt DEA agent serving a lengthy federal prison term for his role in a closely related money laundering conspiracy.
The Internal Revenue Service and U. A trove of government records obtained by AP describe Marin as a one-time U. For years, DEA agents partied with Marin around the world after purportedly targeting him, the records show, with Marin frequently picking up the bill for dinners and prostitutes. Marin has not been charged in the U. But prosecutors in Colombia last year requested his extradition from Spain, where he was living, to face criminal charges.
Nonetheless, Marin, who has Spanish citizenship, was allowed out on bail while fighting extradition. He then allegedly fled and was later captured in Portugal, where he remains imprisoned. Irizarry, who is serving a year sentence for his crimes, described to the AP how Marin for years bribed officials in Colombia and gifted prostitutes, expensive meals and tickets to U.
He gave a similar account to federal investigators, saying DEA agents falsified government records about Marin to justify profligate international travel. Agents describe the AGEOs as a robust tool that has resulted in scores of high-level arrests and cocaine seizures. But the DEA also has faced criticism for allowing huge amounts of money in the operations to go unseized, enabling cartels to continue plying their trade, and for failing to tightly monitor and track the stings, making it difficult to evaluate their results.
In Tampa federal court Tuesday, Ambuila showed no emotion as U. Justice Department spent preparing for a trial scuttled after just two days. As recently as this month, prosecutors led by Joseph Palazzo had offered Ambuila a plea agreement recommending a sentence of time served.
