Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 7, 1990 TAG: 9006070218
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MIAMI LENGTH: Medium
Tens of thousands of Chinese, Cubans and other immigrants paid millions of dollars to Panamanian officials to use that nation as an illegal gateway to the United States and Canada, said Robert Harris, chief criminal investigator for the Immigration and Naturalization Service here.
The ring started as early as 1980, and about 4,000 Cubans used it to enter this country at Miami International Airport alone during the past seven years, authorities said. Sixteen thousand people were caught "in the pipeline" when the United States invaded Panama in December, said Robert Penland, who recently retired as assistant INS commissioner for anti-smuggling.
"Nobody ever operated an alien-smuggling operation to the extent of Panama," Harris said. "It was operated by the government, and it was a well-organized, well-run operation."
There is already enough evidence to seek indictments, Harris said, but INS and federal prosecutors decided to move cautiously because of the former Panamanian dictator's protracted drug-smuggling case, due to go to trial next year.
"We don't want to interfere with the current prosecution effort by the United States attorney," he said recently. Any indictment "could be after the trial."
The allegations became public during a January bond hearing for a Noriega co-defendant, pilot Eduardo Pardo, when federal prosecutors said Noriega and Pardo helped smuggle aliens into the country.
Noriega attorney Frank Rubino said he was surprised by the investigation, and questioned the U.S. right to prosecute his client in such a case.
"The United States may like to police the world . . . but they've just gone a step too far," Rubino said. "What may have occurred internally in the country of Panama is not within U.S. jurisdiction."
The smuggling operation involved not only Noriega and top intelligence officials, but also Panama's consulates, the Cuban government, private attorneys and U.S.-based smugglers, investigators say.
Panamanian officials, acting directly or through private attorney middlemen, charged from $10,000 up to $20,000 for visas into Panama, Harris said.
Cuban officials worked with Noriega on the visas to extract money from refugees leaving that island for Panama, and Miami-based Cuban rights groups also paid Noriega to ensure their countrymen were cleared to travel to the United States, Harris said.
All visa approvals had to come directly from the head of Panama's intelligence service, Lt. Col. Rafael Cedeno, or from Noriega himself, Harris said.
by CNB