-Caveat Lector-
December 8, 2000
DEA boss says he ordered continuation of drug probe
By Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration yesterday said he
personally ordered that an investigation into a suspected Houston
drug kingpin be continued after Rep.
Maxine Waters complained that the probe's target was a victim of
racial profiling.
DEA Administrator Donnie R.
Marshall challenged the decision to shut down the investigation,
telling the House Government Reform Committee he has since sought
an internal probe to determine if DEA officials "succumbed to
political pressure" in closing an investigation that had netted
20 convictions and more than $1 million in cocaine.
"At no time did anyone tell me the criminal investigation had
been shut down," Mr. Marshall said.
"My orders were to continue the active investigation and I was
sure that was being done. We need to determine if anyone
succumbed to political pressure and, if so, take the appropriate
action.
"The DEA must be free of political influence, and I am committed
to ensuring that it is," he said.
The accusations of racial profiling were made by Mrs. Waters,
California Democrat, to Attorney General Janet Reno in August
1999 � days before Ernest L. Howard, head of the DEA Houston
office, ordered members of a DEA/ Houston Police Department drug
task force to end inquiries or pursue no new leads involving the
probe's target, James A. Prince.
A DEA internal investigation later ruled that the accusations
were unfounded, and that the sole source of the complaint was Mr.
Prince, owner of a rap recording firm known as Rap-a-Lot.
Three Houston detectives, along with veteran DEA agent Jack
Schumacher, who oversaw the probe, told the committee during
testimony yesterday and on Wednesday that the investigation was
prematurely shut down because of "political interference" and
that additional investigative leads and targets were ignored.
Mrs. Waters complained to Miss Reno that Mr. Prince was
harassed by DEA agents and Houston police and he feared for his
life, although she offered no specific examples or cited any
incidents.
Four days after the letter was received by the attorney general,
the DEA's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) interviewed
Mr. Prince in Mrs. Waters' congressional office in Washington.
During the interview, DEA Chief Inspector Felix Jimenez, who was
conducting the OPR review, noted that Mr. Prince had provided
"insufficient" information for the agency to open an
investigation, saying he had not identified any specific acts of
wrongdoing. Later, a private investigative firm in Houston hired
by Mr. Prince offered new accusations, involving brutality.
Mr. Marshall said that at that point, Agent Schumacher's removal
from the case was suggested in an effort to guarantee his safety
pending the OPR review, noting that a contract had been offered
on the DEA agent's life. But, he said, he gave no order that the
Rap-a-Lot investigation be shut down.
"I believed that the criminal investigation was proceeding with a
new case agent," Mr. Marshall said. "I directed a certain
course of action with regard to this investigation, and I assumed
it was being followed."
Mr. Marshall said he has sent a new team of agents to Houston to
investigate the case and determine what course of action the
agency should take. He said the team has made a preliminary
report to him, although he declined to discuss it in an open
session.
In an Aug. 20, 1999, memo to Miss Reno, in response to the
Waters letter, Mr. Marshall described the Houston probe as "a
significant criminal investigation" and identified Mr. Prince and
others as "legitimate suspects" based on "multiple sources of
information."
Mrs. Waters was unavailable for comment. Her spokeswoman, Betty
Edwards, referred inquiries in the matter to her August 1999
letter. Mr. Prince also has not returned calls, but he
previously has denied any wrongdoing.
Agent Howard told the committee yesterday and on Wednesday he did
not order the investigation closed, and could not explain why the
three Houston detectives and Mr. Schumacher testified under oath
to the contrary.
He also was hard pressed to explain e-mail messages he sent to
DEA headquarters saying he had shut down the probe "because of
the potential political pressure associated with it." He said he
lied in the e-mail messages to get the attention of DEA
supervisors.
The committee's inquiry also has focused on suspected efforts by
the Justice Department to block the panel's own inquiries.
House investigators said Mr. Marshall voluntarily came forward
when the accusations surfaced on the probe's being ended and
promised full cooperation.
Later, they said Justice Department officials blocked his
efforts. At one point, they said, he was ordered not to return
calls from Committee Chairman Rep. Dan Burton, Indiana
Republican.
=================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
=================================================================
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
