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Ptah

(32,983 posts)
Sat Apr 20, 2013, 04:12 PM Apr 2013

Smugglers' rights violated by border agents, jury finds

Two Border Patrol agents were convicted Friday in federal court in Tucson
of violating the civil rights of four drug smugglers.

After deliberating most of the morning, about 3 p.m. the jury convicted
Dario Castillo, 25, and Ramon Zuniga, 31, of four counts of civil-rights
deprivation under color of law. Rather than arrest four Mexican smugglers
intercepted the night of Nov. 12, 2008, the agents made them strip off
their socks, shoes and jackets, forced some of them to eat marijuana and
ordered them to flee into the desert.

The convictions are misdemeanors for Zuniga, but felonies for Castillo because
the jury found he set fire to the smugglers' belongings.

The agents were found not guilty of a conspiracy charge.

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/smugglers-rights-violated-by-border-agents-jury-finds/article_34471a03-8c0f-5c87-ba2a-fa543ecfb191.html

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Smugglers' rights violated by border agents, jury finds (Original Post) Ptah Apr 2013 OP
wow Lady Freedom Returns Apr 2013 #1
Sure looks like they thought they would get away with it. Ptah Apr 2013 #2

Lady Freedom Returns

(14,120 posts)
1. wow
Sat Apr 20, 2013, 04:44 PM
Apr 2013


Did these officers really think they could get away with something like this?


Ok, better question, have they gotten away with this before?

Ptah

(32,983 posts)
2. Sure looks like they thought they would get away with it.
Sat Apr 20, 2013, 04:50 PM
Apr 2013

Like any police force there are bad apples.

Both defense attorneys argued Jose Grajeda, a horse patrol agent, was in control
that night because he had seniority over the two agents.

They argued there was a culture among the horse patrol unit of letting people go
and only taking the narcotics, meaning Grajeda told the smugglers to flee, not their clients.




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