A POLICE DEPARTMENT IN FLORIDA IS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR
LAUNDERING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR DRUG CARTELS IN COUNTRIES
LIKE VENEZUELA.
THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE BAL HARBOR PD, AND THE BLADES COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
THEY ARE FROM A SMALL COMMUNITY OF JUST OVER 2500
PEOPLE, SMALL COMMUNITY, SMALLTIME POLICE
DEPARTMENT, BUT THEY LAUNDERED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
LET ME GIVE YOU THE DETAILS, ACCORDING TO THE FREE
THOUGHT PROJECT.
"THE TWO-YEAR OPERATION, WHICH TOOK MORE THAN 55 MILLION
FROM CRIMINAL GROUPS, RESULTED IN ZERO ARRESTS BUT NETTED
$2.4 MILLION FOR THE POLICE POSING AS MONEY LAUNDERERS.
MEMBERS OF THE TWELVE PERSON TASK FORCE TRAVELED FAR AND
WIDE TO CARRY OUT THEIR DEALS, FROM LOS ANGELES TO NEW
YORK TO PUERTO RICO.
ALONG THE WAY, THE SMALL-TOWN COPS GOT A TASTE OF LUXURY
AS THEY USED THE MONEY FOR FIRST CLASS FLIGHTS, LUXURY
HOTELS, AND APPLE COMPUTERS, AND SUBMACHINE GUNS.
MEANWHILE, THEY WERE BUYING ALL SORTS OF FANCY EQUIPMENT."
KEEP IN MIND, WHEN IT COMES TO DRUG CASES, THE DEA AND
LOCAL POLICE OFFICIALS CAN DO SOMETHING KNOWN AS ASSET
FORFEITURE.
MEANING THAT, IF HEIRESSES ñ
INVESTIGATING A SUSPECTED CRIMINAL WHO IS INVOLVED IN
THE DRUG OR DRUG TRAFFICKING BUSINESS, THEY CAN TAKE
THAT INDIVIDUALS PROPERTY, THEY CAN SEIZE IT.
OFTENTIMES THEY JUST KEEP IT, AND THEY KEEP IT AS PART OF
THEIR INVESTIGATION.
SO ALREADY, PLEASE OFFICIALS ARE ABLE TO MAKE A KILLING OFF
OF THE DRUG WAR AND ASSET FORFEITURE.
IN THIS CASE, AS THEY ARE DOING THE INVESTIGATION, THEY ARE
LIKE, LOOK AT THESE CARTELS, FIRST CLASS FLIGHTS, I LIKE IT.
SO THEY START LAUNDERING MONEY FOR THEM.
I WILL SAY, MAYBE WE CAN HAVE SOMEBODY GOOGLED THIS REALLY
FAST, MY IMPRESSION WAS, PERHAPS
IT WAS TAKEN AT THE LAST MINUTE, A RATING IN OF ASSET FORFEITURE
WAS INCLUDED IN A BILL A COUPLE MONTHS AGO THAT I THINK PAST.
I BELIEVE THAT THEY DID SCALE BACK THE ABILITY OF SOME OF
THESE DEPARTMENTS TO USE ASSET FORFEITURE.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT PASSED EITHER.
LET ME GIVE YOU SOME MORE DETAILS.
"THE OPERATION, WHICH WAS NOT FULLY REPORTED TO FEDERAL
AUTHORITIES, FUNNELED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO OVERSEAS CRIMINALS
AND INTERFERED WITH AND INVESTIGATIONS BEING CARRIED OUT
ON KNOWN MONEY LAUNDERERS."
"AT LEAST TWENTY PEOPLE IN VENEZUELA
WERE SENT MONEY ñ DRUG MONEY FROM THE FLORIDA COPS, INCLUDING
WILLIAM AMARO SANCHEZ, THE FOREIGN MINISTER UNDER HUGO
CHAVEZ."
" THEY WIRED A TOTAL OF TWENTY $11,000 TO SANCHEZ, EVEN
WHILE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT WAS INVESTIGATING VENEZUELAN
GOVERNMENT."
THEY WERE MAKING IT SEEM AS IF THEY WERE OUT TO GET
THE CARTELS, WHEN IN REALITY THEY WERE WORKING FOR THE
CARTELS.
"POLICE ROUTINELY WITHDREW CASH FROM UNDERCOVER BANK
ACCOUNTS, BUT TO THIS DAY THERE ARE NO RECORDS TO SHOW
WHERE THE MONEY WAS SPENT."
I BELIEVE IT WAS QUITE A BIT OF MAKING IT RAIN, MORE
THAN LIKELY.
THERE WAS SOME MONEY THAT WAS REPORTED, AND THEY SPENT IT
ON RIDICULOUS THINGS.
FIRST CLASS FLIGHTS, WEAPONS, BUT THEN THERE IS A HUGE
CHUNK OF MONEY THAT WENT UNREPORTED, AND THEY ARE
UNABLE TO EXPLAIN WHERE THAT MONEY WENT.
"THE OFFICIALS SAY THEY CANNOT FIND RECEIPTS FOR HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS ARE IN EXPENSES, INCLUDING FIVE-STAR HOTEL
BOOKINGS, DINNERS THAT VAN UP TO
$1000 AND SCORES OF PURCHASES."
HOW DO THEY KNOW WHAT IT ALL IS THAT THEY CAN'T FIND THE
RECEIPTS?
WOULDN'T THAT BE HOW YOU KNEW?
SO THEY ARE LIKE, LOOK AT THESE COMPANIES LAUNDERING MONEY.
WE ARE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, BECAUSE IT IS US.
THEY PROBABLY GET PAID PRETTY WELL.
I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT IS AN EXTREMELY WEALTHY AREA.
DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE INDIVIDUALLY WEALTHY, I KNOW,
BUT I IMAGINE THEY ARE BEING COMPENSATED TO SOME EXTENT.
THE MOST OBVIOUS THING IS WHEN YOU SEE AN ENTIRE POLICE
DEPARTMENT BUSTED FOR BREAKING THE LAW.
IN THE CLIMATE WE HAVE NOW, YOUR FIRST THOUGHT IS, OH LOOK
THERE THEY GO AGAIN.
I KNOW THIS IS A DIFFERENT CRIME, AND IT IS EASY TO
SAY THAT THIS IS ONE MORE CRIME THAT WOULD NOT HAVE
HAPPENED IF WE DID NOT HAVE A WAR ON DRUGS, AND ALL OF
THAT IS TRUE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT TO SOME EXTENT THE SYSTEM DID WORK.
THESE PEOPLE WERE BREAKING THE LAW, THEY WERE EVENTUALLY
TRACKED DOWN BY ANOTHER BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT, AND THE FBI.
THAT IS WHY YOU DON'T GIVE TOO MUCH POWER TO ONE GROUP.
THE FBI DID WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO, THEY IDENTIFY
THAT HE WILL BREAKING THE LAW,
AND THEY CAUGHT THEM.