It's all looking a bit brighter lately. After some conversations with my court appointed federal public defender over the phone, it looks like the prosecutor in my case is amenable to give me some sort of deal with time served (30 months already) in the Philippines.....with potentially only 7 months jail time to do stateside if I plead guilty....I don't really have much in the way of assets/money any more, so hopefully we can come to an arrangement where I am not taxed at all, plus them agreeing not to go after my eldest son who was mentioned on the warrant ..
My extradition hearing/trial is on the 20th July.....but even if the Brit judge refuses to extradite me....it might be sensible to surrender myself to the feds (if I can make a good deal) because if this case is not resolved then I won't ever be able to return to my family and home in the Philippines, or travel outside the UK without the threat of being nabbed due to the interpol red notice which won't go away till my case has been cleared, so effectively I'll be marooned like Ben Gunn in 'Treasure Island' on the UK, if we cannot come to terms.
No firm deal has yet been made, but it does look like both sides are willing to negotiate to finally get this case sorted after 4 years of attrition already. 4 years of me being separated from my home and family life. 4 years of uncertainty.
There is always the option of taking it to trial in the US if I am extradited, and hoping that I get some canna-friendly jurors. But that could possibly put me at greater risk in getting a much-much longer sentence.
Yeah, it's ironic that a bullet salesman (ammunition) can sell bullets all day that end up killing people, yet that's ok with the feds...
But someone who distributes seeds that help heal people and make people happy is persecuted, prosecuted, and made to spend years in jail, ruining his business and family life...Where is the justice in that?
the real irony is the US Feds continue to jail folks for drugs and have since before the 60's been running guns and dope as we all know. Remember Iran Contra . Shit the feds and cia been running drugs into the US since before Vietnam. If you get a chance watch the 4 part mini series on the "History" channel. " Americas War on Drugs". What a travesty the US criminal justice system is. Good luck with your hearing man.
Any news?