2006年VOA标准英语-US Indicts Colombian Rebel Leaders

By Jim Malone
Washington
22 March 2006
 
The United States is charging 50 members of Colombia's largest rebel group with using the proceeds from the sale of $25 billion worth of cocaine¹ to finance their anti-government operations at home.   

-------------------------------------------------

Alberto Gonzales speaks to media about indictment² against FARC members, March 22, 2006   
  

The indictment targets 50 members of Colombia's main leftist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

The FARC has been fighting the Colombian government for more than 40 years and has been branded a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

The indictment was made public in a federal court in Washington and announced at a news conference by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

"This is the largest narcotics-trafficking indictment ever filed in U.S. history and fuels our hope to reduce narco-violence in Colombia and stem the tide of illegal drugs entering our country," Gonzales said.

According to the indictment, the FARC provides more than half of the world's cocaine and is responsible for 60 percent of the drug that enters the United States.

U.S. officials allege³ that the group uses the proceeds from $25 billion worth of drug sales around the world to buy weapons in its fight against the Colombian government.

"We believe these men are responsible for not only manufacturing and exporting devastating⁴ amounts of cocaine, but enforcing their criminal regime with violence.  For instance, the indictment alleges⁵ that farmers who did not comply with FARC rules were shot, stabbed and even dismembered alive," Gonzales said.

Gonzales says three FARC members are in custody⁶ in Colombia and that the United States will seek their extradition⁷.  He says the other 47 remain at large, probably in FARC jungle strongholds inside Colombia. 

1 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

2 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

3 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

6 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

7 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。