Darlene Fitzgerald-Catalan
Friday, June 7, 2002

What I would like for someone to explain to me is why this whistle-blower is getting well-deserved attention by the mainstream media when stories like mine that happened mostly under the Clinton administration have gotten little or no attention.

I was a former U.S. Customs special agent when I resigned in disgust in October 1999. I and several of my co-workers had come forward with information regarding not only a valid terrorist threat, but we also had identified what we felt was high-level corruption within Customs.

This threat involved the potential for terrorists to use pressurized rail tanker cars as instruments of destruction. While running a counter-narcotics smuggling operation in Southern California, I found that narco traffickers were using rail tanker cars to import tons of illegal narcotics into the country via these rail cars.

These suspicions were confirmed when I seized 8,000 pounds of marijuana and 34 kilos of cocaine in one of these cars. As a result of this high-level, multi-taskforce investigation, we were shocked at the ease with which the narco traffickers accomplished not only the smuggling of these narcotics into the U.S., but also the delivery to their destinations in the U.S. via these rail cars. With phony I.D. and cash, the deliveries were easily made over the internet or via telephone with the railroads’ customer service departments.

In 1999, years before 9-11, we concluded that our nation was at serious risk of terrorist attacks. It would be easy for terrorists to simply copy the modus opperandi of the narco traffickers and send these cars to any rail spur in the U.S. loaded with explosives, bio hazards, or a combination thereof.

Feinstein's Failure

Over two years ago we took these concerns, as well as our concerns of corrupt Customs managers, to the FBI, Office of Special Council, the Commissioner of Customs, and to several senators and congressional leaders. In fact, 24 Customs employees signed a letter begging for an investigation into what we all felt was outright corruption, obstruction and violation of civil rights in Southern California. This letter was sent to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., through certified mail.

Not only did Sen. Feinstein fail to initiate an investigation into our allegations, approximately two weeks after her office received this letter, she was seen on a Customs yacht with one of the very managers against whom we were making these allegations.

I saw Sen. Feinstein on national television yesterday and heard her make a number of accusatory comments about the Bush administration, giving the perception that the administration had dropped the ball on the 9-11 incident. I find it appalling to hear Sen. Feinstein make such hypocritical statements when she herself refused to act on the information we were trying to surface during the Clinton administration.

The retaliation has been tremendous and well documented. In fact, this is one case in which a former federal prosecutor, now a Superior Court judge, was witness to much of the corruption and terrorist threats that we identified. This case is well documented with many credible witnesses, yet, my brave co-workers and I suffer.

With the exception of The Patrick Henry Center (a non-profit organization in Fairfax, Va.) offering us much-needed protection and help, our story has been virtually swept under the rug. As a result of the extreme retaliation we received from U.S. Customs, so far the whistle-blowers involved in our specific case have become cannon fodder.

Why is this FBI whistle-blower receiving so much attention? Please understand, I heartily believe that she deserves and needs this attention and protection, but why have the rest of us have been virtually thrown to the wolves by the mainstream media and our elected officials? My life and career were destroyed by the U.S. Customs Service when I did the right thing and came forward with this critical information about our national security.

Can someone please explain to me why we have fallen victim to yet another political war for doing the right thing, but when Coleen Rowley becomes a whistle-blower she is celebrated by the mainstream media and "concerned” politicians.

Darlene Fitzgerald-Catalan
Former Special Agent, U.S. Customs Service
Author of: U.S. Customs, Badge of Dishonor

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Clinton Scandals

Homeland/Civil Defense

Immigration/Borders

Media Bias

War on Terrorism

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