News
Release
November 6, 2003
Contact: S/A Elizabeth Jordan-
Public Information Officer
212-337-2906
Victor
Infante Charged with Weapons Exportation and Methamphetamine Distribution
Arrested in the Phillipines
NOV 6
Anthony P. Placido, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration,
New York today announced the arrest of Victor Infante, also known as "the
Devil," the leader of an international Filipino methamphetamine and
firearms distribution enterprise (the "Infante Organization").
The arrest of Infante follows a 9-month joint investigation, led by the
New York Drug Enforcement Task Force which is composed of the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the New York City Police Department, and the New York
State Police. Law enforcement agencies including FBI, ICE, and ATF in
cities such as New Orleans, Los Angeles, New Jersey and New York also
participated in the investigation. The investigation revealed that Infante
is responsible for the shipment of thousands of dollars worth of methamphetamine
from Los Angeles to New York and New Jersey and the attempted shipment
of components of military-style weapons from Los Angeles to the Philippines.
Infante and his associates also attempted to exchange methamphetamine
for automatic and semi-automatic weapons.
Infante, a naturalized
United States citizen who was born in the Philippines, resided in Los
Angeles during most of the time of the conspiracy charged in the complaint.
However, when the federal investigation began to tighten around him, Infante
fled to the Philippines, where he hid on the Island of Basilan. Law enforcement
agents then enlisted the aid of the United States Department of State,
which requested the assistance of the Philippines government in securing
Infante's return toe the United States to face federal charges. On November
3, 2003, Philippines law enforcement and immigration officials arrested
Infante in the southern Philippines. Infante was then ordered deported
from the Philippines, turned over to ICE, and FBI agents and a NYPD detective
in Manila and transported in custody to Guam where the United States will
commence proceedings to remove him the Eastern District of New York.
DEA Special Agent
in Charge Anthony P. Placido stated," "This investigation represents
a systematic attack against a major transnational drug and weapon trafficking
organization. This coordinated multi-jurisdictional effort confirms law
enforcement's resolve in bringing those individuals involved in the trafficking
of illegal drugs and
weapons to justice.
I applaud the Philippine government for their cooperation and commitment
to this investigation."
According to the
complaint, Infante operated a methamphetamine and firearm distribution
organization that did business in New York, California, New Jersey, Louisiana
and the Philippines. During February 2003, one of Infante's co-conspirators
was recorded discussing methamphetamine and weapons transactions. These
recordings included a conversation in which the co-conspirator identified
this methamphetamine supplier as "The Devil" and stated that
weapons such as Uzi's and MP-5's were acceptable payment for the drugs.
The investigation revealed the "The Devil" was one of Infante's
aliases. In March 2003, during another recorded conversation, the co-conspirator
stated that "The Devil" had e-mailed him a wish list of firearms,
which included MAC-11 submachine guns with silencers, MP-5's, HK-94's,
AK-47's Colt AR-215's and Uzi Model B's. All the weapons of Infantes's
list were military-style, automatic and semi-automatic firearms.
On March 11, 2003,
law enforcement agents received court authorization to begin wiretapping
one of Infant's co-conspirator's cellular telephones, and thereafter Infante
was intercepted discussing the ongoing negotiations concerning the exchange
of methamphetamine for weapons. During one call on March 14th, Infante
reminded his co-conspirator not to "forget about our guns, partner."
During another call on March 14, 2003, the co-conspirator informed Infante
that an expected shipment of methamphetamine had not yet arrived in Queens,
New York, and told Infante, "they (Federal Express) put a hold on
it
I don't know what to do now. This is risky, delicate." The
conspirators first planned to exchange the weapons for the drugs in New
York and subsequently changed the location to New Orleans. Ultimately,
the negotiations broke down and Infante fled the United States for the
Philippines.
Thereafter, on July
30, 2003, a second co-conspirator was observed shipping a Federal Express
package from Los Angeles, California, to Infante in the Philippines. ICE
inspectors seized the package and recovered numerous parts of AR-15 and
M-16 military-style, semi-automatic rifles. The airway bill for the package
falsely stated that it contained a used camera tripod valued at $30.
The complaint charges
Infante with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to export
military-style firearms and components from the United States without
a license, and conspiracy to possess a machine gun. If convicted, he faces
a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a $1 million fine on the methamphetamine
charges, and a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000
fine on the firearms charges. The United States Attorneys Office, Eastern
District of New York, is prosecuting the government's case.
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