Update [2006-12-18 12:59:57 by Man Eegee]: I did some digging, this is more fallout from the same operation I reported on last year, not a new scandal. Either way, it’s disgusting.
The headline story over the weekend in southern Arizona:
A Midtown strip mall that should have housed the best of the best served as Corruption Central in Tucson.Two military recruiting stations sit side-by-side there, one run by the Army, the other by the Marines. Between them, a total of seven recruiters were on the take, secretly accepting bribes to transport cocaine, even as most spent their days visiting local high schools. continued…
They had help from several more recruiters at an Army National Guard office, where one recruiter was said to be selling cocaine from the trunk of his recruiting vehicle.Together, these dozen or so recruiters formed the nucleus of one of the FBI’s biggest public corruption cases, the sting known as Operation Lively Green, which unfolded in Southern Arizona from 2002-2004 and was made public last year.Many of the drug-running recruiters remained on the job, with continued access to local schools, for months — and often, years — after FBI agents secretly filmed them counting cash next to stacks of cocaine bricks, the Arizona Daily Star found in a months-long probe of court records and military employment data.
This struck a memory cord in me so I went digging through some old diaries I wrote early in 2005 and, sure enough, I found the news article where a similar cocaine operation was uncovered in this region – coordinated between the Border Patrol, National Guard and other law-enforcement agencies
Sixteen current and former U.S. soldiers and law enforcement officers have agreed to plead guilty to taking $222,000 in bribes from FBI agents posing as drug traffickers to help deliver cocaine shipments through government checkpoints along the Arizona-Mexico border, authorities said Thursday.
The defendants included a former Immigration and Naturalization Service inspector, a former Army sergeant, a Nogales, Ariz., police officer, a former federal prison guard, several Arizona state prison guards, and current and former Arizona National Guard soldiers. They escorted at least two drug shipments to Phoenix, Las Vegas and other southwestern destinations. When confronted by state and federal authorities, they flashed their government badges to keep the vehicles from being searched, Justice Department officials said in announcing the charges.
I think that old adage about getting your own house in order before condemning your neighbors applies here. Dont’cha think?
Crossposted from my humble blog
Here’s a link to the diary I wrote here in May of 2005 regarding the Border Patrol cocaine scandal.
Hi Manny..boy that article got more disgusting with each paragraph. Especially the part about the military saying that this wasn’t a widespread problem-you know just a few bad apples all working together concerning drugs/reports of sexual misconduct/fixing application test scores/hiring hookers and so on. To say nothing of some of these men getting ‘honorable’ discharges. Whole thing is pretty damn sickening.
I’ve had a few people rant/rave about those awful-insert racist slur here-and how they are screwing up kids here cause of the drugs coming across the border which usually pisses me off. Not that I would make excuses for any drug dealer but listen up people, to get the drugs in to the country you absolutely have to be working with people here in the good old U-S-of-A. And what better cover than law enforcement or Border Patrol etc to help do the dirty deed. Corruption is a two way street.
to another Tucsonan at my blog that it’s evident that they were highly organized given the swath of agencies it covered. I mean, come on, we’re talking Border Patrol, local police, Air Nat’l Guard, military recruiters, etc. etc. This might be one of those rare cases where the shadowy side of the government slips up and gets caught. [/tinfoil hat]
No tin foil hat about it-more like a fact. I’ve bitched and bitched and bitched about the drug problem/cops for years. As to why drugs are so prevalent-anyone who does drugs or even knows people who do drugs can hang out in practically any bar and find a connection to score drugs from. If any half way smart person could do this why can’t the cops? In one freaken night. I know they have to build a case but come on this really doesn’t seem to be about honestly stopping the drug trade. Way, way to many people in on the take I suspect or looking the other way.
I see that Obama wants to pretend his vote for the Wall is what..unimportant and doesn’t want to talk about it now. Using a phrase the rethugs have perfected, saying ‘let’s move on’..well no Mr. Obama, lets not move on and have you explain that stupid vote…he also mentions-whines that other dems voted for the Wall to..well so fucken what.
That vote was politically expedient grandstanding or pandering sellout as far as I’m concerned especially given the fact that it was pointless as there has been no funding appropriated for the damn Wall.
I was hoping that link would get some attention. 🙂 While it’s an editorial, I think it speaks well to the frustration that I feel regarding the lukewarm support given by politicians supposedly on our side. It’s a “thanks-for-nothing” type of relationship.
With Obama, I’m sortof in the same place as NLinStPaul , which she outlined last week in ejmw’s diary. I read his first book and have been experiencing some cognitive dissonance when trying to square his story/background and the current facade. But that’s for another diary to hash out 🙂
I’ll go check out that link shortly. But concerning the Wall Manny did you happen to see a news article in the last few days concerning a company(would have to go find link and name of company)who had been contracted to build part of wall around San Diego(I think)……well funny story, haha they got fined yeah the owners did and may go to jail for can you guess? Hiring immigrants to build the wall..tada! The irony or satire in that should be worthy of an Onion story.
I’m only surprised that the owners are actually being prosecuted although it seems they had been told before to stop their hiring of ‘immigrants. Yet they turned around and continued to do the same maybe figuring they would never get prosecuted. Anyway I love that story as it is the epitome of the whole farce of building this Wall to keep those nasty brown people out.
As for Obama, I really wanted him to be a visionary leader ala his speech from the last convention but words really don’t always make the man or women it does come down to your actions.
see that news story but it has disappeared into the void known as my email inbox. Gotta luv the irony.