Ex-Antinarcotics senior officer gets four years in jail: Reuters

New York.- A US District Court in Manhattan, New York on Wednesday sentenced former National Drugs Control Agency (DNCD) chief of operations Francisco Hiraldo Guerrero to four years in prison, Reuters reports.

Hiraldo was also fined US$1.0 million for accepting bribes from drug traffickers whom he tipped off so authorities couldn’t detain them.

The former Dominican Navy Capt. also pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States during 11 years, from 1999 to 2010.

Reuters reports that trial judge John Keenan said the accused provided "significant cooperation" but didn’t specify because case documents were sealed, according to a letter from US attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara’s.

A Dominican Today source with knowledge of the case stated “surprise” on Hiraldo’s arrest. “He seemed to be such a straight walker.”

Dominican Republic outlet diariohorizonte.co reports that Hiraldo’s “services for the transnational criminal narco-trafficking ring headed by former Dominican Army ex captain Quirino Paulino made him US$3.5 million.