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U.S. NEWSThursday 7 January 2016
Gun buyer in San Bernardino attack pleads not guilty
AMY TAXIN
Associated Press
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — The
man who bought the rifles
used in the San Bernardino
attack pleaded not guilty
Wednesday to charges in a
federal indictment accus-
ing him of conspiring with
one of the shooters and of
providing material support
to terrorists.
Enrique Marquez Jr., 24,
appeared in federal court
with his hands and feet
Alleged top Mexican cartel member pleads guilty in Atlanta
KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — A former
Texas high school football
player whom authorities
say rose from petty street
dealer to the top ranks
of a Mexican drug cartel
was responsible for send-
ing truckloads of cocaine
across the border for distri-
bution in the eastern U.S.,
prosecutors said.
Edgar Valdez Villarreal, 42,
is known as “La Barbie”
because of his light eyes
and complexion. Mexi-
can police have said they
chased him across five
Mexican states for a year
before they captured him
on a ranch outside Mexico
City in August 2010. He was
among 13 people extradit-
ed to the U.S. in September
to face charges.
Valdez pleaded guilty in
federal court in Atlanta
Wednesday to charges
of conspiring to import
and distribute cocaine
and conspiring to launder
money. Prosecutors have
3 convicted in Fort Dix plot want life sentences thrown out
MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press
CAMDEN, New Jersey (AP)
— Three Albanian-born
brothers serving life for plot- I’m in the conspiracy or
ting to kill U.S. soldiers at
Fort Dix, New Jersey, insist
they were barred from tes-
tifying at their 2008 terror-
ism trial and asked a judge
Wednesday to throw out
their life sentences.
Dritan “Tony” Duka, 37,
said his lawyer thought he
would come across as a
Muslim extremist and there-
fore didn’t prepare for him
shackled. He answered
“not guilty” when asked to
enter his plea to the five-
count indictment.
A jury trial was scheduled
for Feb. 23. Marquez could
be sent to prison for as long perseded charges he origi-
as 50 years if he’s convict-
ed. His lawyer, Young J.
Kim, declined to comment
after the arraignment.
According to the FBI, dur-
ing 10 days of interviews
Marquez revealed plots he
and his friend, Syed Rizwan
said he was responsible
for sending thousands of
kilograms of cocaine from
In this 2010 photo, Federal Police escort Texas-born fugitive Edgar Valdez Villarreal, center, in
Mexico City. Villareal, known as “La Barbie” because of his light eyes and complexion, appeared
before a federal judge Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Atlanta. He pleaded guilty to charges of con-
spiring to import and distribute cocaine and conspiring to launder money.
Mexico for distribution in
the eastern U.S. and ship-
ping millions of dollars in
cash back to Mexico.
to testify.
“It shouldn’t matter what I
believe.
It should matter whether
not, whether I’m involved
in what the government is
charging,” Duka said.
Duka and his brothers, Eljvir “an inside job, in order to
and Shain Duka,
have lost their appeals, but
argue in post-conviction
petitions that they were
denied the right to testify.
Their trial lawyers deny the
accusations and are testi-
fying for the government
Farook, discussed but never
carried out to slaughter stu- The couple killed 14 people
dents at a community col-
lege and murder motorists
on a congested freeway.
The Dec. 30 indictment su-
nally faced when arrested
two weeks after the Dec. 2
shootings carried out by Fa-
rook and his wife, Tashfeen
Malik, at a building where
Farook’s colleagues from
the San Bernardino county
health department were
The hearing was held un-
der high security, with at
least six armed U.S. mar-
shals in and around the
courtroom.
“Valdez’s conviction is a
victory for the people in
Wednesday.
Dritan Duka’s trial law-
yer, Michael Huff, said he
feared his client’s desire to beliefs.
express religious views and
his suspicion that the Sept.
11, 2001,
terrorist attacks might be
persecute Muslims” would
prove damaging.
“Within five words, coming
out of Mr. Duka’s mouth,
he wanted to talk about
the anti-Christ,” Huff said,
recalling their trial prepa-
rations. “I’m not judging
meeting. door to each other. Farook,
28, introduced Marquez to
and wounded 22 others Islam as a teenager a de-
before being killed hours cade ago and indoctrinat-
later in a dramatic shoot- ed him in violent extremism,
out with police. according to the FBI.
Authorities said Marquez Marquez bought two rifles
was not involved in the kill- for Farook in 2011 and 2012
ings, but that his failure to and the two planned to
warn authorities about Fa- launch bomb and shoot-
rook and his purchase of ing attacks at Riverside City
the guns had deadly con- College, where they at-
sequences. tended classes, and a no-
Marquez and Farook were toriously gridlocked section
friends who grew up next of highway without exits.q
both the United States and sociated with the cartel’s
Mexico whose lives were daily business,” said U.S.
affected by his cocaine Attorney John Horn, who
prosecuted the case.
Buddy Parker, an attorney
for Valdez, had no com-
ment after the plea was
entered. Valdez’s brother,
who attended the hearing,
(AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini) also declined to comment.
Horn said it’s impossible to
trafficking, through drug know exactly how much
addiction and community cocaine Valdez is re-
decay or through the vio- sponsible for sending into
lence and corruption as- the U.S., but he said that
during one six-month pe-
riod in 2005 at least 1,500
kilograms were sent to At-
lanta alone. The cocaine
was sold on a wholesale
basis for between $16,000
and $18,000 per kilogram
using a sophisticated net-
work, Horn said.
Valdez was born in the
border city of Laredo, Tex-
as, where his father was a
nightclub and bar owner.
He grew up in a middle-
class subdivision popular
with border patrol agents,
police officers and firefight-
ers. q
those thoughts, but I would the U.S. Supreme Court de-
have to think about ... how clined to hear the case.
a jury might perceive those The case has been cited
by New Jersey Gov. Chris
“I think he could have done Christie, a Republican pres-
nothing but hurt himself,” idential candidate,
Huff testified. as one of the two “biggest
The Dukas were convicted terrorism cases in the world”
with two others of plotting during his time as U.S. Attor-
an attack at military sites at ney. But critics of the case
Fort Dix and elsewhere. believe an FBI informant
Dozens of supporters gath- entrapped the men and
ered in the courtroom and say the sentence reflects
outside the courthouse to overzealous efforts to pro-
support them. tect the country after the
A federal appeals court 2001 terrorist attacks.q
rejected their appeal and