Episode 66 -- The Troubling Trial Testimonies of Traffickers Enrique Plascencia Aguilar and Frank Retamoza

Cartels, Conspiracies, and Camarena

We continue our examination of the transcripts from the Zuno I and Zuno II trials by considering the testimonies of traffickers Enrique Plascencia Aguilar and Frank Retamoza.

Plascencia's testimony includes details about the events at La Longosta that may be seen as inconsistent with the accepted narrative. In addition, his testimony regarding a December 1984 meeting is also inconsistent not only with other witnesses at both trials, but also directly at odds with allegations and claims in The Last Narc.

In the case of Frank Retamoza, the government gave him broad immunity and paid him and his family more than $900,000, despite his admission to multiple acts in aid of the traffickers, including taking $150 million from the U.S. to Felix Gallardo in Mexico. Curiously, the government made this arrangement despite the fact the Retamoza offered no direct testimony against either defendant on trial in Zuno II.