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A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 5 OctOber 2018
DEA's Colombia post jarred by misconduct probes

By JIM MUSTIAN Cocaine production — brought in to restore order
JOSHUA GOODMAN and seizures — in Colom- after a blistering Inspec-
Associated Press bia surged to a record high tor General's report found
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) last year, a subject likely to several DEA agents had
— New turmoil has roiled come up when President participated in "sex par-
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Donald Trump visits the ties" with prostitutes hired
Administration's high-profile country in November as by Colombian cartels. That
office in Colombia, where part of his first trip to Latin scandal prompted the sus-
at least three agents have America. pension of several agents
left in recent months amid Federal authorities are also and the retirement of Mi-
investigations into alleged investigating Jose Irizarry, a chele Leonhart, the DEA's
misconduct, including ac- former DEA agent assigned administrator at the time.
cusations that one passed to Colombia who has been Prior to Bogota, Dobrich
secrets to drug cartels and accused of passing intel- oversaw the DEA's military-
another used government ligence to cartels, accord- style FAST teams that bat-
resources to hire prostitutes. ing to several law enforce- tled drug traffickers in Af-
The DEA's top-ranking offi- ment officials familiar with ghanistan and Latin Amer-
cial in South America, who the matter. The officials ica, and were criticized for
was brought in three years spoke on condition of ano- a series of fatal shootings in
ago in the wake of a scan- nymity because they were Honduras in 2012, including
dal involving agents par- not authorized to discuss one in the town of Ahuas
ticipating in sex parties with an ongoing investigation. that left four civilians dead.
prostitutes, is under inves- BuzzFeed News originally The DEA disbanded the
tigation after the agency reported the allegations Foreign-Deployed Advi-
received an anonymous against Irizarry in April. sory and Support Team last
complaint saying he di- Irizarry was hired by the DEA year following a joint State
rected Colombian drivers in the U.S. despite indica- and Justice Department
working for the U.S. Em- tions that he didn't answer inspectors general probe
bassy in Bogota "to procure truthfully a polygraph exam that found the DEA — and
sex workers," according to This image shows a page of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administra- he took upon admission, Dobrich — misrepresented
a copy of the complaint tion Regional Director Richard Dobrich's portfolio. according to two U.S. offi- significant aspects of the
obtained by The Associ- Associated Press cials familiar with the case. shooting to Congress and
ated Press and one cur- They spoke on condition of government investigators.
rent and one former law this "attempted assassina- misconduct by our employ- anonymity because the in- The DEA and Dobrich have
enforcement official. The tion on my reputation" is ees." vestigation into his alleged maintained for years that
officials spoke to the AP on a setup, perhaps by a dis- Prostitution is legal in Co- criminal activity is ongoing. the FAST squad in question
the condition of anonymity gruntled former DEA em- lombia, but Justice Depart- Irizarry abruptly quit the had been fired upon by
because they were not au- ployee. ment policy forbids DEA DEA this year after his tour drug traffickers in a passen-
thorized to discuss an on- Dobrich said investigators agents from engaging in in Cartagena, Colombia, ger boat who had been
going investigation. from the Justice Depart- such activity because it was curtailed and he was trying to recover narcotics
Richard Dobrich, a regional ment's Office of Inspector could lead them to be sent to the United States. seized during the opera-
director who is retiring from General interviewed him compromised by the very Attempts by the AP to tion.
the DEA next month to take at his office in Colombia drug cartels they are pursu- reach Irizarry by phone But video of the shoot-
a private sector job, said last month and seized his ing. were not successful and it ing strongly suggested to
in a statement and inter- phone as a matter of rou- Armando Ruiz, a retired Co- was not clear whether he outside experts that the
view with the AP that the tine. Dobrich said he was lombian police officer who has a lawyer. antidrug unit opened fire
complaint is without merit later told by an investiga- has served as Dobrich's The DEA also received an first, according to the IGs'
and he would have to be tor that no misconduct was driver for three years, said anonymous complaint in report. The inspectors gen-
a "complete idiot" to have found, but neither the OIG he never saw his boss inter- recent months that ac- eral found Dobrich's ac-
anything to do with prosti- nor the investigator named act with prostitutes or do cused Dobrich's deputy, counting of the shooting to
tution given the office's his- by Dobrich would com- anything unbecoming. Jesse Garcia, of having be "unsupportable" based
tory. He also denied his de- ment on the status of the "Unfortunately, when you're a sexual relationship with on their own review of the
parture has anything to do investigation. in a position like his, there's a subordinate. That com- footage.
with the accusation. DEA spokeswoman Mary a lot of people who act out plaint, a copy of which Dobrich, in his statement to
"There is nothing to this — Brandenberger did not re- of hatred," Ruiz said. was also obtained by the the AP, likened the anony-
zero," Dobrich said of the spond to emailed questions The scrutiny comes at an AP, said Dobrich had been mous prostitution com-
anonymous complaint, about Dobrich's departure already fraught time for the made aware of the rela- plaint to the insurgents he
adding he wants another but wrote that the agency DEA's Bogota office, which tionship — a claim Dobrich encountered serving with
probe into how it got out. "takes very seriously any al- is critical to the U.S. efforts denies — and that "favorit- the FAST team in Afghani-
Dobrich said he believes legations of wrongdoing or to control drug trafficking. ism has created a low mo- stan, where he was shot
rale within the admin staff" in the line of duty in 2010,
in Bogota. earning a Purple Heart.
Garcia, who retired shortly "I am used to being able to
after the complaint was detect where enemy fire
filed, could not be reached is coming from in order to
for comment. Possible protect myself and team-
phone numbers for him in mates," Dobrich said. "I am
Bogota rang unanswered. not accustomed to con-
Dobrich's tenure as the top fronting the cowardice of
executive in Colombia be- anonymous and fictitious
gan in 2015, when he was allegations."q