Sources offer new tip in Bogotá DEA corruption case

A memo drafted by Department of Justice attorney Thomas M. Kent alleging major corruption in the Bogotá, Colombia, office of the Drug Enforcement Administration has caused a bit of a stir in the mainstream media over the past few days.

The internal Justice Department document, drafted in December 2004, alleges that DEA agents in Bogotá are on the payroll of narco-traffickers, engaged in money laundering for right-wing paramilitary groups in Colombia and also conspired to murder informants. The document also alleges that two government watchdog agencies — the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General and DEA’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) — whitewashed an internal investigation into the corruption charges.

So as the mainstream pack journalism heats up in the wake of Narco News’ exclusive report on the memo and corruption allegations, it seems appropriate to throw some more raw meat into the field for the hungry media wolves.