Key witness against Manuel Noriega assassinated in broad daylight in Bogota

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Colombia Reports

Key witness against Manuel Noriega assassinated in broad daylight in Bogota
Mar 14, 2014 posted by Charlane Robinson

A former member of Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel and key witness in a drug trafficking case against former Panama dictator Manuel Noriega has been murdered in Colombia’s capital Bogota, reported local media.

Gabriel Taboada Garcia, 58, was assassinated in northern Bogota on a busy street at 9:30AM on Thursday.

Media quoted eye witnesses as saying that a woman fell from a motorcycle at a red light and proceeded to fire seven shots at Taboada who was in a car at the time.

~snip~

Taboada was the US Justice Department’s star witness and as a consequence of his testimony, the US and France sentenced Noriega for 21 years. The former dictator was in power from 1983 – 1989 and returned back to Panama in 2012 after serving his sentence for drug trafficking and money laundering. However, he now faces several murder convictions and violations of human rights charges.

Many other of the former drug lord’s sensational claims have been discredited. In 1994, Taboada claimed that the Colombian government was heavily impregnated with drug trafficking which was refuted by the government of then-President Cesar Gaviria. He also attempted to implicate a DEA agent, William Michael Aldridge, in drug deals but his allegations were found false.

Read more: http://colombiareports.co/former-drug-dealer-assassinated-broad-daylight/

[Sunlei]

1. US Justice Department’s star witness. like a death sentence to not give them lifetime protection.

[PeoViejo]

2. "a woman fell from a motorcycle at a red light"

jumped, or dismounted seems more likely. Bad translation?

[Judi Lynn]

4. She recovered quickly to make her "kill shot," if she "fell!"

It may have looked like she "fell" to someone at a distance, but it's more likely she knew exactly what she was doing.

Motorcycle assassins (sicarios, for anyone who doesn't know, yet) choose the easy way of getting to their targets, in traffic, and escaping without getting caught in Latin America.

[PeoViejo]

7. A couple on a bike attracts less attention.

Two guys on a bike is a common ploy with thieves who snatch bags an packages through open car windows.

[geek tragedy]

3. oh. nt

[Judi Lynn]

5. It comes down to which high-ranking official or officials didn't want to be outed. n/t

[struggle4progress]

6. "... former member of .. Medellin Cartel .. assassinated in .. Bogota ..."

[freshwest]

8. A practice going back many years. What a way to make a living. And dying. n/t

[Octafish]

9. Whew!