On Oct. 4, the Colombian revolution scored a victory when a mistrial was declared in the case of Simon Trinidad, also known as Ricardo Palmera, in a federal court in Washington, D.C.
Palmera, lead negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was captured in Quito, Ecuador, and later extradited to the United States in December 2004.
The prosecution charged Palmera and, by extension the FARC-EP with drug trafficking. The state, however, was unable to prove this oft-repeated piece of propaganda against the revolutionary forces, resulting in a hung jury. Palmera asserted he never knew of any cocaine lab controlled by the FARC.
