Aristide 'a drug lord'
2004-02-26 20:43
Miami - A known Haitian drug trafficker said in a Florida court that embattled Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide is a drug lord who has turned his country into a "narco-country."
Beaudouin "Jacques" Ketant, sentenced on Wednesday to 27 years in prison, admitted that he brought more than 30 tons of cocaine into the United States over 12 years.
He said Aristide "is a drug lord, he controlled the drug trade in Haiti. He turned the country into a narco-country. It's a one-man show. You either pay (Aristide) or you die," The Miami Herald reported on Thursday.
A Miami lawyer and Aristide ally, Ira Kurzban, rejected the accusations, saying: "This is just another piece of the effort to politically assassinate President Aristide. Where is the proof? Where are the pictures? Where are the tapes? Where is the evidence?"
Armed insurgents holding about half of the country are demanding that Aristide, the elected president, step down.