NARCONEWS.COM V. BANAMEX

A David v. Goliath Drug War Story In A NY Court

Al Giordano said he would put the drug war on trial, and after a July 20
hearing in a New York City courtroom, few doubters remain. Razor Wire
subscribers may recall reading in our March/April issue about Giordano
being forced to defend his investigative journalism against a civil lawsuit
filed by Banco de Nacional de Mexico, or Banamex. Giordano's Internet
reports on Central and South American drug trafficking frequently
identified the president of Banamex, Roberto Hernandez Ramirez, as a
millionaire money-launderer and an international drug kingpin, a friend of
U.S. and Mexican presidents. Ramirez and Banamex filed a defamation lawsuit
in August 2000 in an attempt to shut down publishing of NarcoNews.com and
its courageous investigators.

There's much history behind Banamex's suit. At stake are the rights of
independent reporters colliding with the moneyed interests of major drug
traffickers with much to hide. The Mexican coastline on the Gulf is a
traditional drop-off area for cocaine shipments from Colombia destined for
U.S. buyers. Ramirez lives in this area and has been implicated in drug
trafficking by Mario Renata Menendez Rodriguez, the heroic publisher of Por
Esto, one of Mexico's largest newspapers. After a lengthy criminal libel
trial brought by Banamex lasting more than two years, a Mexican judge ruled
that Por Esto's investigation (republished in Narco News Bulletin by
Giordano) had not libeled Banamex. This decision was upheld on appeal in
Mexico in May of 2000. A third attempt by Banamex to press criminal charges
in Mexico was thrown out of court. Unrelenting, Banamex hopes to try again
in a Manhattan Supreme Court building with groundless charges against
Giordano and codefendant Mario Renata Menendez Rodriguez.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a leading organization defending
First Amendment rights in the cyber-age, filed an amicus brief in support
of Narco News Bulletin's right to publish. Among items in the memorandum,
it's noted that "the new independent journalists of the Internet, as
personified by Al Giordano, play a crucial role in preserving the
democratic aspirations of First Amendment protection. The role of such
journalists is especially salient as mainstream media is increasingly in
the hands of fewer and fewer large corporations."

Why hasn't Banamex sued media like El Universal, AP, Wall Street Journal,
the Boston Phoenix or the Village Voice that published the same facts? They
have a weak case, and because Giordano and Mario Rodriguez are poor,
Banamex hopes to win by weight of money spent. Giordano the giant killer is
poised to bring down Goliath Banamex by virtue of truth alone.

Al said they had a good day in court on July 20 with an intelligent judge
on the bench. She will take several months to rule on the first round of
motions to dismiss. Giordano can now get back to work reporting on the drug
war "from somewhere in America." He's planning a mid-September mini-tour of
Boston, New York and possibly Washington, DC. He plans to speak at the 15th
Annual Hemp Rally on Boston Common. Al's paradise of anonymity has come to
an end, and there's a profile of him with first photo taken in four years
in the summer Rolling Stone magazine. Wall Street Journal may come out with
his story also.

Donations are needed from anyone who loves to support a good First
Amendment fight. In the Biblical Old Testament, David brought down Goliath
with a single stone. Such truth about the clay feet of giants may also mean
for monster banks such as Banamex that this fight is about over.

For online information about how you can help or donate in this important
case, see www.narconews.com