25799: (news) Chamberlain: Haitian Drugs (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   MIAMI, July 21 (AP) -- A reputed Haitian drug kingpin was convicted
Thursday of smuggling and money laundering for guiding shipments of
Colombian cocaine through Haiti to the United States and paying off
high-ranking officials of the Caribbean nation to protect his activities.
   Serge Edouard, 43, faces 20 years to life in prison on the jury's
convictions of conspiring to import more than 10 pounds of cocaine into the
United States, conspiring to commit money laundering and nine counts of
money laundering.
   Edouard also faces the potential forfeiture of over $15 million in
assets, with $5 million in assets already seized. Sentencing was set for
Sept. 29.
   From 1998 until 2004, Edouard directed a smuggling organization that
imported thousands of pounds of cocaine from Haiti into Miami and New York,
prosecutors said. They said the operation returned millions of dollars in
drug money to Edouard in Haiti.
   During the trial, which began Monday, prosecutors said Edouard paid
hundreds of thousands of dollars to Haitian law enforcement to secure his
shipments through the Port-Au-Prince airport.
   Oriel Jean, ex-security chief for ousted President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide, testified that Edouard gave $40,000 for a security badge that
helped him travel freely without Haitian police searching him.
   While the badge was approved by Aristide, Jean testified the
then-president was unaware at the time of Jean's involvement in drugs. Jean
recently pleaded guilty to a money-laundering conspiracy charge and
testified against Edouard ahead of his sentencing.
   The case was part of a three-year probe that has resulted in the arrests
of 14 Haitians. Last week, former national police commander Rudy Therassan
was sentenced to almost 15 years in prison.