MOST SENIOR DOMINICAN LAWMAKER DENIES LINKS WITH ALLEGED DRUG
LORD

SANTO DOMINGO.- Eastern Altagracia province senator Amable Aristy
yesterday denied knowing the alleged drug lord Ramon del Rosario
Puente (Tono Lena), being held in Monte Plata jail on cocaine
trafficking charges.

Aristy, whose U.S. visa was inexplicably cancelled and reissued
several months after, spoke briefly with journalists after a meeting
with the Police chief in Police headquarters.

A former National District Assistant DA, who spoke to DT on condition
of anonymity, said Aristy's U.S. visa was pulled for "much more
serious reasons than tax evasion."

The presidential candidate of the opposition PRSC party said he
visited major general Rafael Guzman, "to deal with a topic of a relative."

"Thank God I don't know that gentleman, I have seen never him, or know
who he is," the legislator said when asked if he knew the activities
of the alleged top drug importer in the country's East region.

Aristy arrived at Police headquarters near 9 a.m. and left one hour
later, accompanied by Drugs Control Agency (DNCD) president Rolando
Rosado.

The lawmaker said he called Guzman Sunday night to request a meeting
where he would speak about "some family problems" which he didn't reveal.

Aristy, called a Cacique (chieftain) in Altagracia's provincial
capital Higuey, has been known for using his political clout for
personal gain in the tourism-rich eastern province since the late
1980s, and is the country's longest sitting lawmaker.