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*28 September 2013* Last updated at 04:34**** http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24309220**** US DEA agents arrest three 'contract assassins'**** [image: US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara speaks at a news conference on 27 September 2013]US Attorney Preet Bharara demonstrated the scope of the suspects' alleged illegal activities during a news conference in New York on 27 September **** Three people have been arrested in connection with a conspiracy to murder a US law enforcement agent, officials announced on Friday.**** Two former US soldiers and a German soldier were detained abroad and extradited back to the US following a federal undercover operation.**** The suspects were described as international cocaine traffickers and contract assassins by US officials.**** Two additional suspects have been taken into custody in Estonia.**** The arrests stem from a US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) narco-terrorism undercover operation conducted in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.**** 'Bone-chilling' **** US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara described the allegations against the three men as "bone-chilling" and "ripped from the pages" of an espionage novel.**** "The charges tell a tale of an international band of mercenary marksmen who enlisted their elite military training to serve as hired guns for evil ends," he said in a statement<http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/September13/HunteretalArrestsPR.php> .**** According to US officials, Joseph Manuel Hunter, 48, served as a sniper instructor and senior drill sergeant in the US Army until 2004, while Timothy Vamvakias, 42, served as an infantryman and attained the rank of sergeant.**** Dennis Gogel, 27, was trained as a sniper in the German armed forces until 2010, US officials said.**** Mr Hunter acted as a "contract killer" since leaving the military, and signed on as "head of security" for a reported narcotics trafficking organisation tied to an international DEA operation earlier this year.**** In this role, Mr Hunter, also known as "Rambo", assembled a "security team" consisting of the other suspects, according to court documents.**** Their duties included providing surveillance for narcotics trafficking operations, including overseeing an aircraft to be loaded with 300kg (660lb) of cocaine and shipped to New York.**** Murder-for-hire **** In communications with confidential sources, the three suspects also agreed to commit the murder-for-hire of a DEA agent as well as a US informant in Liberia.**** In exchange, the three suspects were to be paid $800,000 (£495,712), according to the statement.**** All three suspects face charges including five counts of conspiracy to import cocaine into the US and conspiracy to murder a law enforcement agent. **** Mr Vamvakias and Mr Gogel were apprehended in Liberia before being extradited to the US and appeared before a US Magistrate Court on Thursday afternoon.**** Mr Hunter was arrested in Thailand and is not expected to appear in federal court until Saturday.**** Two other suspects have been arrested in connection with the investigation and currently await extradition to the US from Estonia, officials said.**** ** ** __._,_.___ __,_._,___ -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
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