DEA agent leaked secret information about Maduro ally targeted by US, prosecutor says
Source: Associated Press
DEA agent leaked secret information about Maduro ally targeted by US, prosecutor says
BY JIM MUSTIAN AND JOSHUA GOODMAN
Updated 4:00 PM EDT, November 1, 2023
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal narcotics agent leaked sensitive case information about one of Washington’s top criminal targets in Venezuela as part of a scheme to sell government secrets to defense lawyers seeking to attract deep-pocketed clients, a jury was told this week.
In a wiretapped phone call, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Agent John Costanzo Jr. revealed the exact date in 2019 when prosecutors in Miami planned to bring charges against businessman Alex Saab for allegedly siphoning $350 million from state contracts.
The leak, not previously made public, marks yet another embarrassing case of high-profile agent misconduct at the U.S.’ premier anti-narcotics agency and could complicate the Justice Department’s already-fraught prosecution of Saab.
Saab has become a cause célèbre among allies of President Nicolas Maduro. The socialist leader claims the Colombian-born businessman is a Venezuelan diplomat targeted for his efforts to bypass American sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. Saab was arrested during a jet fuel stop in 2020 while en route to Iran, where he was sent by Maduro to negotiate oil deals.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/dea-corruption-venezuela-maduro-drugs-7523194ac02f64a657c8e4787fbd8f11