5 Suspects, About to Be Freed After Case Falters, Rearrested

Five Colombians, who were about to be released from jail because a federal judge ruled that police had bungled when they searched an apartment and found nearly $3 million in drug money, have been rearrested on state charges stemming from the same raid, Bell police said Friday.

Narcotics Detective Dennis Tavernelli said the Colombians were booked Thursday night on suspicion of money laundering and participating in a conspiracy to sell cocaine. They were scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Los Angeles Municipal Court.

“We feel we have a case and that’s why we did what we did,” Tavernelli said.

The Colombians’ attorney took a different view.

“Obviously, it’s a question of spite,” said defense attorney Maria Hamar. “They want a little bit of revenge. But I’m not sure they’re going to get it.”

On Feb. 23, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson suppressed the evidence and the Colombians’ confessions when he ruled that police officers may have used coercion in gaining permission to search a Bell Gardens apartment where $2.75 million in small bills was discovered.

According to defense lawyers, the five had confessed to money laundering and were anxious to return to their native country.

Police units involved in the search were part of SEANET, a police narcotics task force composed of officers from Bell, Huntington Park, Maywood and South Gate.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Stephen G. Wolfe, who prosecuted the case, said he notified Wilson on Thursday that the government would not appeal the judge’s decision to toss out evidence taken in the raid.

The Colombians had been scheduled to be released from the downtown federal Metropolitan Detention Center on Thursday afternoon. Immigration officials stood ready to pick them up and begin deportation proceedings.

But, defense attorney Hamar said, shortly before the suspects were about to leave jail, Bell police told federal officials they intended to rearrest the five. The Colombians were then transported Thursday night to the Bell Police Station and booked. On Friday, they were transferred to Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail.

Hamar’s husband, attorney Richard Hamar, had said the federal case fell apart because of conflicting testimony over whether coercion was used in the signing of a search consent form. Defense attorneys argued that the police officers intimidated one of the defendants who lived at the apartment into signing the consent form, authorizing the search.

A total of $2.75 million in small bills was found in plastic bags that had been stashed in the apartment’s upstairs closets.

Under federal law, most of the money seized could be distributed to the local police agencies involved in the raid.

Taken into custody after the raid were Javier Casanas, 32, of South Gate; Bernardo Diaz, 40, of Downey; Adolfo Suarez, 28, of Downey; Reynaldo Garcia, 45, of Downey, and Miller Ramirez Orozco, 26, of Bell Gardens.

Judge Wilson’s decision to toss out the evidence came after a witness who lived next door to the apartment that was searched testified that she saw police storm the unit with their weapons drawn, an indication of coercion.

Following her testimony, Wilson threw out the evidence and the confessions.

Federal prosecutor Wolfe said he was “delighted” that the Colombians would now face trial in state court.

“Perhaps they’ll have better luck,” Wolfe said.