Texas Prosecutor Travels to Colombia to Discuss, Praise Anti-drug Efforts

A federal prosecutor from Texas met with Colombian officials last week to discuss efforts to stop Colombian drug traffickers who operate in the state.U.S. Attorney Joe Brown, who led the American delegation, said cooperative investigations between the two nations have directly allowed the seizure of more than 59 tons of cocaine, 1,756 kilograms of marijuana, 23 kilograms of heroin, 1 kilogram of fentanyl and $12.1 million in the past three years.The federal Eastern District of Texas — Brown's district — prosecutes more Colombian traffickers than almost any other district in the U.S., the Department of Justice said.“Federal prosecutors from my office along with local agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration have worked very hard to cultivate strong relationships with law enforcement and government officials in the Republic of Colombia,” Brown said in a statement. “These relationships have allowed us to prosecute some of the largest cocaine traffickers in the world. "We, in the Eastern District of Texas, are taking the fight to the cocaine cultivators, laboratory owners, traffickers, and corrupt government officials who are flooding our streets with cocaine.”Brown met with officials from the Colombian Attorney General’s Office and the Colombian navy, as well as the nommander of the Colombian National Army and Police, Jorge Nieto.“In my meetings with General Nieto and others, I was proud to hear what the Eastern District prosecutors have done in this important effort,” Brown said in the statement.   Continue reading...