NATION : Noriega Witness Pleads Guilty
MIAMI — Another Manuel Noriega co-defendant pleaded guilty today to a single drug count and agreed to testify against the deposed Panamanian leader.
Amet Paredes could have faced 95 years in prison on a variety of counts, but under the agreement, prosecutors will recommend a maximum of 10 years in prison on one conspiracy count.
Paredes is the son of Gen. Ruben Dario Paredes, who once shared power with Noriega in Panama, but the two military leaders later had a falling out.
The plea agreement was not a surprise, since Paredes was the only defendant who received government support for his release on $200,000 bond.
Paredes is the fourth Noriega co-defendant to plead guilty in the case and the last major co-defendant in custody. Eight defendants are still at large.
Before U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler, Paredes agreed to a prosecution recital of his involvement in the shipment of 322 kilograms of cocaine aboard the ship Krill, which was seized by the United States in 1986.
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