Pubdate: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL) Copyright: 2000 St. Petersburg Times Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/ Forum: http://www.sptimes.com/Interact.html Author: Graham Brink and Richard Danielson DRUG CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST 8 For 15 years, Andrew Chambers has helped authorities make drug cases, but now prosecutors are reviewing the cases in which he had a role. TAMPA -- Hillsborough prosecutors dismissed drug charges against eight suspects Monday, the latest fallout from revelations that a star federal informer may be a liar. Andrew Chambers has helped the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local police convict more than 300 people across the country, earning $2-million or more for his efforts. Among the drug markets he penetrated was Tampa. But Chambers' credibility has come under attack in recent months. The DEA suspended him, and local prosecutors began reviewing area cases in which he had a role. Eric Meyers, chief of the narcotics division for the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office, said that after closer scrutiny, dropping some of those cases was the proper legal and ethical thing to do. "We could not knowingly put on a witness that was not credible and may have lied," he said. The action doesn't mean the men can never be recharged; prosecutors theoretically could refile charges if a case could be built without Chambers' involvement. The dismissals followed some defense attorneys' criticism that the State Attorney's Office failed to release information about Chambers' troubles earlier and dragged its feet about dismissing the charges. Dario Diaz, who represents one of the defendants, did not criticize local prosecutors, but said the DEA should have made it more clear that there were potential problems with Chambers. "I don't think the system is inherently flawed," he said. "Some individual people can flaw it." Last year, the DEA sent letters to at least three Hillsborough prosecutors that vaguely referred to Chambers' problems as a witness. Mark Ober, a Republican candidate for state attorney, said he was not informed about Chambers' sketchy past until February, after his client had spent a year in jail and almost went to trial in December. CBS's 60 Minutes contacted Ober on Monday about the cases, he said. "It's the prosecution's job to hand over that type of information in a timely fashion," he said. "For whatever reason, we didn't get it." For 15 years, Chambers, alias Rico, Derrick, or Drew, has helped local and federal authorities make drug cases against upward of 300 defendants. Along the way, the DEA paid him at least $2-million; some estimates put the figure closer to $4-million. The 42-year-old St. Louis native has been accused of being too eager to please, of crossing the line in and out of the witness chair. Chambers' criminal record includes charges of forgery, assault, solicitation of prostitution and impersonating a DEA agent. In a 1994 Minnesota case he lied about his record, which led to a rebuke in a federal appellate opinion. Another federal judge criticized a 1995 Colorado drug sting in which it appeared Chambers was being paid on a contingency basis, giving him an incentive to inflate the deal. A California lawyer publicized Chambers' past by sending "wanted" posters to defense lawyers across the country. He successfully sued the DEA for access to Chambers' pay records. Tampa prosecutor Meyers said the defendants cleared Monday are not suspected of being high-level dealers. The state could reinstate the charges, but Meyers said it was unlikely barring a "substantial change in circumstances." "Keep in mind that everyone is innocent until proven guilty," he said. "We didn't get a chance to prove anything against these guys." The cases dismissed Monday include: In December 1998, Tampa police arrested two Polk County men, Dahrol Glen James, 24, and Harold "Bo-Bo" Laudrum Jr., 41, in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart at Dale Mabry Highway and I-275. The men had just paid $9,000 for 17.6 ounces of cocaine, police said. In May 1999, James agreed to plead to trafficking in cocaine in exchange for providing information on "significant drug world figures" in Polk County, according to court records. In August his lawyer filed a pleading saying that nothing had happened so James wanted to withdraw his plea. In June 1999, Tampa police arrested two St. Louis men who had traveled to downtown Tampa to pay $35,000 for about 5 pounds of cocaine, police said. The money and drugs changed hands at noon at N Ashley Street and E Whiting Avenue. In July 1999, police charged three Tampa men -- Daniel Batista Jr., 26, Robert Delgado, 30, and Jose M. Tirado, 28 -- with conspiring to sell and delivery of a total of 11/2 ounces of heroin on two different occasions. In May 1999, 26-year-old Avery Lakith Royster of Palatka was charged with selling 31/2 ounces of cocaine to a confidential informer. Two other defendants snared with Chambers' help have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced. Meyers said he will contact their attorneys to see if the defendants want to withdraw the pleas or work out some sort of post-conviction relief. The state will go forward with charges against Jose Gardella, 26, who police said conspired to sell or actually sold a total of 9.2 ounces of cocaine on several occasions. Chambers was involved in the case, but so were undercover sheriff's deputies. Earlier this month, federal prosecutors in Miami dismissed drug charges against four men who had been arrested with Chambers' assistance. - --- MAP posted-by: Greg