cannabisnews.com: Army Wife Says Drug-Fighting Husband Knew 





Army Wife Says Drug-Fighting Husband Knew 
Posted by FoM on May 06, 2000 at 22:43:42 PT
That She Used Cocaine
Source: Washington Post
The wife of the former commander of the U.S. Army's anti-drug operation in Colombia says before they moved to Bogota she once used cocaine in front of her husband to convince him of her addiction."I said, 'This is what's wrong with me,' and I proceeded to snort this line of cocaine. And he looked at me, turned around and walked out," Laurie Hiett said in a CBS "60 Minutes" interview to be aired tonight.
Four months later, the Army offered her husband a promotion, which involved fighting drugs in Colombia. Hiett says U.S. officials knew of her past addiction, and her husband lied, telling officials she had stopped using the drug so she could accompany him to Colombia.Hiett, 36, pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges in January, saying she shipped packages containing $700,000 worth of drugs to New York City. She also admitted traveling to New York to collect the illicit proceeds to take back to Colombia, an act falling under the legal definition of money laundering.On Friday, she was sentenced to five years in prison after telling a judge: "If I was able to understand what it was going to do to my kids and how it was going to destroy my husband, I wouldn't have done it."Hiett said that soon after arriving in Colombia she and her driver acquired cocaine and later conspired to smuggle it into the United States. She said she had large amounts of cocaine and saw an opportunity to get rich and pay off her credit card bills."I had this 1 pound, 500 grams, of pure Colombian cocaine underneath my Jacuzzi, and it was like never-ending," Hiett said. "I was just doing it and doing it and doing it, and it was making me crazy."Her husband, Col. James Hiett, 48, the former head of U.S. anti-drug operations in Bogota, pleaded guilty to a federal charge last month, admitting that he knew his wife was laundering drug money but failed to turn her in. He faces up to three years in prison and $250,000 in fines when sentenced June 23. Federal sentencing guidelines call for him to spend between 12 and 18 months in prison.A 24-year Army veteran, he remains on active duty at Fort Monroe, in Hampton, Va., where he was transferred after his wife was accused of a crime.Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee G. Dunst said the colonel has filed for retirement from the Army.Earlier, the Army Criminal Investigation Division in Panama had cleared him, saying he had no prior knowledge of his wife's crimes. Published: Sunday , May 7, 2000 ; A05© 2000 The Washington Post Company Related Articles:Colonel Pleads Guilty in Drug Casehttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5436.shtmlUS Colonel to Plead Guilty in Colombia Drug Probehttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5283.shtmlWife: Anti-Drug Colonel Knew Nothinghttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4502.shtmlWife of U.S. Army Colonel to Plead Guiltyhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4386.shtmlLeading Two Lives http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3623.shtmlU.S. Commander's Wife Arrested in Drug Case http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2387.shtml 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on May 07, 2000 at 12:59:49 PT:
A bigger stink coming
This guy was involved in intelligence work; you can't get that high in the hierarchy and not be. His wife consorted with narcos. Is anyone here going to tell me with a straight face that he didn't say anything at all about the upcoming anti-narco ops he was planning in conjunction with the indigs? And that with her contacts, word didn't get back to the narcos about them? You have to wonder if any operations may have been compromised.. placing our own people as well as the indigs in danger. This fairly *screams* "Security risk!" I'm sure someone must have raised concerns about the matter, and yet there was (apparently) silence.This is one more bit of extraordinary stupidity that seems to be the hallmark of this insane War, and why it is best not fought at all. Because as any Vietnbam Vet will tell you, you can never know who the enemy really is. Who knows?As the case of this colonel has proved, you might actually be - literally - sleeping with them.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #1 posted by herr hanf on May 07, 2000 at 11:58:43 PT
ha ha ha ha ha!!!!
i would say this is pretty pitiful.
[ Post Comment ]

Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: