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.

Q. WOULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN.

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.