DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart and Preet Bharara, the
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, today announced
that IOANNIS VIGLAKIS, a/k/a “Pablo,” pled guilty yesterday in Manhattan
federal court to attempting to provide material support to the Fuerzas Armadas
Revolucionarias de Colombia (“FARC”), a Colombian terrorist organization.
VIGLAKIS, a citizen of Greece, was arrested in Panama City, Panama, in coordination
with Panamanian authorities during August 2012. He waived extradition and was
subsequently turned over to the custody of the United States. VIGLAKIS pled
guilty before U.S. District Judge Katherine B. Forrest.
“This investigation clearly demonstrates DEA’s unique
ability to disrupt and dismantle the arms-trafficking networks that supply
weapons to the most significant global narco-terror organizations,"
Leonhart said. "DEA will continue to aggressively pursue international
arms dealers and narco-terrorists who are focused on harming our nation's security.”
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “By providing
functioning rocket-propelled grenade launchers and other military-grade weapons
to an individual he believed to be a FARC associate, Ioannis Viglakis was
attempting to arm a known terrorist organization that he understood would use
those weapons against Americans and Colombians.”
According to the Indictment previously unsealed in this
case:
Beginning in November 2011, VIGLAKIS had a series of
meetings with a DEA confidential source (the “CS”) who represented himself to
be an associate of the FARC. During those meetings, which took place in Europe
and Central America, the CS informed VIGLAKIS that he was seeking weapons for
use by the FARC to attack American forces in Colombia.
VIGLAKIS offered to provide the FARC with functional, bona
fide, military-grade weapons – including assault rifles, rocket-propelled
grenade (“RPG”) launchers and surface-to-air missiles – in exchange for cocaine
and cash. During the meetings, VIGLAKIS and the CS also discussed the FARC’s
use of these weapons to fight the Colombian and American governments, including
by shooting down American aircraft in Colombia.
During the following months, VIGLAKIS indicated that he
would provide the CS with several RPG launchers as a sample. On July 18, 2012,
VIGLAKIS successfully arranged for the delivery in Europe of six live RPGs and
three working RPG launchers, which were received by a DEA undercover agent.
VIGLAKIS, 53, pled guilty to one count of attempting to
provide material support to the FARC. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years
in prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Forrest on April 11, 2014,
at 11:00 a.m.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding work of the Special
Operations Division of the DEA, as well as the DEA Panama Country Office, the
DEA Madrid Country Office, and the DEA Copenhagen Country Office. Mr. Bharara
also thanked the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs and
National Security Division, the U.S. Department of State, and the Government of
the Republic of Panama.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and
International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christian R. Everdell,
Aimee Hector, and Michael Lockard are in charge of the prosecution.
DEA Press Release 12.11.13
max sentence of 15 yrs!!? seems soft. Those couldve done alot of damage
ReplyDeleteThe collapse of the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact communist govts., and Yugoslavia led to a flow of arms to the world's black market, with rogue govts., insurgencies, and,
ReplyDeleteco's chomping at the bit to bite, from a stockpile of weapons accumulated during the Cold War. These states were preparing for the eventuality of an invasion from the NATO nations that never came; in fact, what eventually happened was that they turned the weapons on each other and black market was flooded with armaments. It is understandable why the U.S. govt. would have an urgency in deterring arms trafficking/traffickers with all the harm they cause indirectly when they provide arms to groups like the FARC of Colombia. Unfortunately, for every one person they catch like this Viglakis there is another 1000 who successfully traffic their arms to the detriment of nations like Mexico and Colombia.
Operation fast and furious!
DeleteLike OBAMA & ERIC HOLDER.
Deletetrafficing guns to chapos Sinaloa
and others Thats why Eric holder
wont release those papers
about how currupt every us president really is.
9:45 the guns that killed Zapata and others were not chapo's,and the gun trafficking started under G W Bush,I don't mean to accuse bush, but the gun manufacturers sure wanted some of that narco-money in their pockets,the gun lobby and the NRA on their side sure helps.
DeleteBefore them,there was help for the contras,secret deals,drug trafficking,oil for weapons,Iran Contra,etc etc,why blame
Obama and holder now???
then DEA secured the smuggled weapons and sold them to the Mexican cartels.
ReplyDeleteOf course cause they are getting into the DEAs pockets. They want a cut of everything
ReplyDelete10:45 ET AL,the ATF,ALCOHOL TOBACCO AND FIREARMS,has been without a permanent full time director since Obama started his presidency,maybe longer, purposefully,nobody wants to ne the fallguy,
Deleteso it is running around like a headless chicken because of something,somebody don't want the ATF messing around...
Now they will resale them or knock down his connects. USA is the most corrupt and evil government brainwashing us from early age to believe what they say and not doubt. Pearl harbor, bay of pigs, 9/11, where just people fed up with BS bad part is us civilians get the punishment with innocent lives lost.
ReplyDeleteThe DEA is a joke they sent the cartels thousands of gunns but nope there's no prob there...should they be charged with terrorism
ReplyDeleteThe DEA is a joke they sent thousands of gunns to the cartels...lol charge them with terrorism
ReplyDelete6:43 the US is not the biggest evil,its enemies foreign and domestic with their global agenda is the cause of all the ills in the world,the us is falling to its knees for bending one at the global powers of "globalization"...
ReplyDelete