Santo Domingo.- The offices of the judge, the prosecutor and of the lawyer who represents Quirino Paulino, Lawrence F. Ruggiero, are still mum on the legal situation of the ex captain of the Dominican Army, whose arrest for possession of 1,386 kilos of cocaine in December 2004 is the biggest drug bust in the country.

A Federal Court document dated January 1 indicates that Assistant DA John O’Donnel requested a continuance form judge Kimba Wood to receive evidence and documents from the Dominican Republic, against the accused.

And although in the trial against Fátima Henriquez, O’Donnel said “thet have all are negotiated” a plea bargain, there’s no official statement on whetger the criminal group’s alleged leader - being held since 2004 in the nearby Park Row Federal Holding Facility- has made some plea bargain agreement with prosecutors or if he would go to trial and demonstrate his innocence.

Paulino, just like several other defendants who’ve already decided to plea bargain,  have held on to their claim of "not guilty" from the first day in which he was charged with about 12 federal drg-trafficking counts in judge Wood’s courtroom.