NEW YORK, October 19 - RAPSI. The most high-paid Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) informer Carlos Sagastume testified before the jury on Tuesday in the Viktor Bout's trial in New York.
The United States charged Bout with conspiring to kill Americans and US officials, illegal surface-to-air missile trafficking, and supporting terrorism through cooperation with the Colombian terrorist organization FARC.
Sagastume is mentioned in the case materials as "Carlos" who pretended he was a FARC representative wishing to purchase a large shipment of weapons, including surface-to-air missiles. "Carlos" recorded the talks of Bout and another suspect Andrew Smulian, a British citizen. The audio records are included in the prosecution evidence.
The court began to play the records on Tuesday.
Bout has pleaded not guilty. He talked to his defense attorneys during witnesses' interrogation. The defense maintains that Bout was negotiating a sale of two aircraft, but not weapons to the people who presented to be FARC commanders.