DOMINICAN FUGITIVE WENDY ALMONTE EXTRADITED TO THE

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001245 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR SEARBY, L/LEI FOR TORRES AND MUELLER DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FOR CRIM/OIA ORJALES AND ESTABROOK US MARSHALS SERVICE PLEASE PASS TO JIM SCHIELD DEA FOR OF,OFI,DO,DCO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CJAN CVIS KCRM SNAR DR SUBJECT: DOMINICAN FUGITIVE WENDY ALMONTE EXTRADITED TO THE UNITED STATES REF: 2006 STATE 178816 ¶1. On May 23, 2007, U.S. Marshals returned Wendy Almonte to the United States to stand trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York for multiple counts related to the importation of and possession with intent to distribute of MDMA ("ecstasy"),as detailed in indictment number CR-06-0083, filed on February 10, 2006. As laid out in the indictment, Almonte was directly implicated by two other drug traffickers in the importation of at least 35,000 ecstasy tablets between October 2002 and February 2005. ¶2. This case was brought before the Dominican government on October 30, 2006, by virtue of an Embassy diplomatic note. Shortly afterward, on November 27, 2006, the Criminal Chamber of the Dominican Supreme Court issued a provisional warrant for Almonte's arrest based on the USG request for extradition. Almonte was arrested by agents of the Dominican Drug Control Directorate's Fugitive Unit on May 12, 2007. She made a voluntary, knowing, and intelligent waiver of her right to contest extradition before the Dominican Supreme Court on May 14, 2007. ¶3. The return of Almonte marks the 19th Dominican-national fugitive returned through or in lieu of extradition proceedings during CY-2007 (the 10th for FY-2007). As in previous years, approximately 80 percent of subjects returned via extradition are sought for narcotics or narcotics-related offenses. BULLEN