A new report from the Department of Justice has revealed that DEA agents posted in Colombia engaged in private sex parties with prostitutes provided by local drug cartels. Some of the involved individual’s corruption ran even deeper: three supervisory special agents were reportedly “provided money, expensive gifts and weapons from drug cartel members,” USA TODAY reports.
The issue was never reviewed by the DEA’s Office of Security Programs, and the involved agents only received suspensions for up to ten days — an incredibly mild punishment, considering the DEA’s unforgiving crackdown on American citizens for drug-related crimes that has spanned generations and torn apart countless American households, particularly in communities of color.
The report was conducted by the DOJ inspector general as part of an investigation into federal law enforcement agencies and their handling of sexual misconduct and incidents of harassment.
According to the report, “Most of the sex parties occurred in government-leased quarters where agents’ laptops, BlackBerry devices and other government issued equipment were present … potentially exposing them to extortion, blackmail or coercion.”
To make matters worse, “If these special agents had served as government witnesses at the trials of these defendants, their alleged misconduct would have had to be disclosed to defense attorneys and would likely have significantly impaired ability to testify at trial,” the report reads. The defendants settled for a plea agreement and a trial was avoided.
Sources:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/26/dea-brothel-prostitutes/70482964/
Photo Credit: Lwp Kommunikáció
Get daily cannabis business news updates. Subscribe
End