BEFORE THE GRAND JURY NO. 94-4
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
MARCH 15, 1995
WITNESS: CHARLES JONES
APPEARANCES:
ALAN BERSIN
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
B Y: L . J. O'NEALE
ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
940 FRONT STREET, ROOM 5-N-19
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92189
REPORTED BY: KATHY DAYHUFF
LUCAS, BRIANDI & ASSOCIATES
SUITE 1101 CHAMBER BUILDING - 110 WEST C STREET
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92101
( 619 ) 239-4151
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, MARCH 15, 1995, 11:25 A.M.
CHARLES JONES,
CALLED AS A WITNESS, HAVING BEEN FIRST DULY SWORN, WAS
EXAMINED AND TESTIFIED AS FOLLOWS:
EXAMINATION
BY MR. O'NEALE:
Q. WOULD YOU PLEASE STATE YOUR FULL NAME AND
SPELL YOUR LAST NAME.
A. CHARLES E. JONES, J-O-N-E-S.
Q. AGENT JONES, YOU ARE A SPECIAL AGENT WITH THE
DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRkTION; IS THAT CORRECT?
A. YES, SIR.
Q. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH DEA?
A. 25 LONG YEARS.
Q. AND IN THE COURSE OF YOUR 25 YEARS WITH DEA,
YOU'VE CONDUCTED NUMEROUS INVESTIGATIONS INTO COCAINE
TRAFFICKING; IS THAT RIGHT?
A. YES, SIR.
Q. SOME YEARS AGO DID YOU HAVE OCCASION TO DIRECT
INVESTIGATION INTO THE ACTIVITIES OF ONE OSCAR DELANO
BLANDON?
A. THAT IS CORRECT.
Q. IN FACT, AT THAT TIME MR BLANDON WAS
CONSIDERED TO BE PROBABLY THE LARGEST NICARAGUAN COCAINE
DEALER IN THE UNITED STATES; IS THAT CORRECT?
A. I BELIEVE SO, SIR.
Q. AND, IN FACT, MR. BLANDON, AS A RESULT OF YOUR
INVESTIGATION, WAS ARRESTED AND CONVICTED OF CONSPIRACY TO
DISTRIBUTE COCAINE; IS THAT CORRECT?
A. THAT'S CORRECT, SIR.
Q. AND SOMETIME AFTER HIS ARREST, MR. BLANDON
DECIDED IT WOULD BE IN HIS BEST INTERESTS TO COOPERATE WITH
YOU AND WITH THE DEA; IS THAT CORRECT?
A. CORRECT, SIR.
Q. MR. BLANDON WAS GIVEN A REDUCTION IN SENTENCE
AND EVENTUALLY WAS TURNED FREE ON THE STREETS AS A RESULT
OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE HE PROVIDED; IS THAT
CORRECT?
A. YES, SIR.
Q. IN FACT, MR. BLANDON PROVIDED SUBSTANTIAL
ASSISTANCE. TO THE GOVERNMENT; IS THAT CORRECT?
A. YES, SIR, HE DID.
Q. AND GAVE INFORMATION ON PEOPLE HE HAD SUPPLIED
OVER THE YEARS WITH COCAINE?
A. THAT'S CORRECT, SIR.
Q. THESE ARE STREET DEALERS OR MAJOR TRAFFICKERS
IN THEIR OWN RIGHTS?
A. NO, SIR, ALL MAJOR TRAFFICKERS.
Q. MR. BLANDON GAVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT A DRUG
TRAFFIC RELATED MURDER IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA?
A. YES, SIR.
Q. MR. BLANDON HAS SERVED HIS SENTENCE. HE IS
NOT WORKING OFF A BEEF AS THE PHRASE GOES, IS THAT
CORRECT?
A. THAT'S CORRECT, SIR.
Q. HE HAS AGREED TO COOPERATE WITH DEA AND
NARCOTICS INVESTIGATORS?
A. YES, SIR.
Q. MR. BLANDON IS GETTING PAID FOR HIS WORK/
A. YES, SIR, EXPENSES AT THIS TIME.
Q. AND, ESSENTIALLY, HE DOESN'T HAVE A HAMMER
OVER HIM IN THE SENSE OF PENDING CRIMINAL AGAINST
MR. BLANDON?
A. NO, SIR, THERE ARE NOT.
Q. DURING THE COURSE OF THE PRIOR INVESTIGATION
DID YOU HAVE MR. BLANDON IN A TAPE RECORDED CONVERSATION
INDICATE TO ONE OF YOUR AGENTS THAT HE HAD SUPPLIES OVER
THE YEARS 4- OR 5,000 KILOGRAMS OF COCAINE TO GANG MEMBERS
IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA?
A. YES, SIR.
Q. AS PART OF HIS COOPERATION NOW, WAS IT
SUGGESTED TO MR. BLANDON OR WAS IT SUGGESTED BY WITHER
DEA OR YOU THAT MR. BLANDON CONTACT HIS PREVIOUS CUSTOMERS
IN THE L.A. AREA TO SEE IF THEY ARE STILL INTERESTED IN
DEALING COCAINE/
A. IT WAS UNDER MY DIRECTION, SIR.
Q. AS A RESULT OF THIS, DID MR. BLANDON REACH OUT
TO PREVIOUS CUSTOMERS OF HIS?
A. YES, SIR.
Q. WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THAT CUSTOMER?
A. RICKY DONNELL ROSS.
Q. SPELLED?
A. D-O-N-N-E-L-L, I THINK.
Q. DOES MR. ROSS HAVE A NICKNAME?
A. YES, SIR.
Q. WHAT'S THAT?
A. FREEWAY RICKY.
Q. AND DID MR. BLANDON MAKE TELEPHONE CALLS IN AN
ATTEMPT TO LOCATE MR. ROSS?
A. YES, HE DID.
Q. DID HE EVENTUALLY LOCATE HIM?
A.. YES, SIR.
Q. IN FACT, WERE ALL THESE TELEPHONE CALLS TAPE
RECORDED SO THAT THEY COULD BE PRESERVED AND REVIEWED BY
DEA AGENTS?
A. AS MOST -- MOST OF THEM WERE, YES, SIR. THERE
WERE CASES WHERE THERE WAS NOT A TAPE RECORDER AVAILABLE
BUT FOR THE MOST PART THEY WERE.
Q. AS A RESULT OF THESE TELEPHONE CALLS, DID MR.
ROSS INDICATE THAT HE WAS INTERESTED IN PURCHASING LARGE
QUANTITIES OF COCAINE?
A. YES, SIR, HE DID.
Q. DID MR. ROSS SHOW ANY RELUCTANCE TO ENGAGE
THESE COCAINE TRANSACTIONS?
A. QUITE THE OPPOSITE.
A. HE WAS VERY ENTHUSIASTIC TO GET BACK IN
BUSINESS WITH MR. BLANDON.
Q. WHEN YOU SAY BACK IN BUSINESS, WAS IT -- HAD
MR. ROSS, TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE, BEEN OUT OF THE COCAINE
BUSINESS?
A. HE WAS IN CUSTODY, YES, SIR. HE WAS ARRESTED
ON CONSPIRACY -- COCAINE CONSPIRACY CHARGES.
Q. AND, IN FACT, HE WAS -- HE HAD BEEN SENTENCED
AND HAD BEEN RECENTLY -- FAIRLY RECENTLY BEEN RELEASED FROM
FEDERAL PRISON; IS THAT CORRECT?
A. THAT'S CORRECT, SIR.
Q. AND ONE WOULD HOPE WHILE HE WAS IN FEDERAL
PRISON HE WASN'T IN THE COCAINE BUSINESS; IS THAT
CORRECT?
A. CORRECT, SIR. I DON'T REALLY KNOW BUT I ASSUME.
Q. ALL RIGHT. WERE -- WAS IT ARRANGED THEN
FOR -- BETWEEN MR. ROSS AND MR. BLANDON THAT MR. ROSS WOULD
MEET WITH -- WITH MR. BLANDON AND WITH UNDERCOVER AGENTS TO
SEE IF A COCAINE TRANSACTION COULD BE WORKED OUT?
A. YES, SIR.