Police raided Zhenli Ye Gon's home, carting off what they said was $ 205 million
Zhenli Ye Gon's lawyers, who are fighting efforts to extradite him to
The information was given to Mexican authorities "informally" and
"We know that in the interviews he had with prosecutors in the
Asked whether Ye Gon had admitted selling methamphetamine precursors on the black market, Velarde said: "That's it, exactly."
Spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said the Justice Department would have no comment.
The case against Ye Gon burst open in March 2007 when police raided his house in
Zhenli Ye Gon
Ye Gon, who was born in
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says Ye Gon lost more than $ 120 million gambling over the years, and Ye Gon himself spoke of betting $
Authorities arrested Ye Gon's wife, other relatives and some employees in
As a fugitive, Ye Gon gave an interview to the AP in
He said party officials forced him to store the cash with a threat that has since become famous in Mexican vernacular: "Cooperate, or neck," he said with a throat-slashing motion in heavily accented Spanish. Mexican officials call the story preposterous.
Two months after the interview, Ye Gon was arrested at a restaurant in
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan threw out the case in August after one prosecution witness recanted and another refused to testify. Sullivan, who had criticized prosecutors for taking months to reveal the witness problems, ordered that Ye Gon never be charged in the
He remains in a prison in suburban
Prosecutors in
Ye Gon's lawyers accuse Mexican authorities of deliberately putting out false information.
"We believe this is misinformation on the part of the Mexican government in preparation for his possible arrival there," said Eduardo Balarezo, one of Ye Gon's attorneys in
Asked whether Ye Gon had made the admission to
The accusations revolve around 96 tons of chemicals Ye Gon imported from
Mexican prosecutors say he never made any medicine, instead using his factory to transform the chemicals into pseudoephedrine and selling it to drug gangs for hundreds of millions of dollars for use in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
In court documents,
A person familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it, said Ye Gon met over many days in late 2008 and early
The source said Ye Gon provided detailed information about the black market sales, admitting he sold the chemicals for $ 1,100 to $ 1,400 per pound ($ 2,400 to $ 3,000 per kilogram). Import documents show the chemicals cost Ye Gon less than $
The source also said Ye Gon provided the names of some of his buyers, though he would not disclose their identities to the AP out of fear they might take revenge on people involved in the case. Mexican officials have linked Ye Gon to the powerful Sinaloa Cartel.
Velarde stressed that Ye Gon's admission was made during informal interviews and not in open court. As such, he said, it did not constitute an official confession. Still, he described it as potentially useful if Mexican officials are successful in winning Ye Gon's extradition.
"If we decide we need that evidence for our case, then we'll have to make a formal request to the
SOURCE: ca.news.yahoo.com
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