Orense

Defense lawyer Jason Foy said in his opening statement that Orense was a successful businessman being falsely accused by former drug traffickers who are cooperating with U.S. prosecutors for payment and in the hopes of being able to remain in the United States.

In an opening statement at accused trafficker Carlos Orense's trial in Manhattan, prosecutor Kaylan Lasky said Orense stashed drugs and weapons on a ranch he owned in Venezuela, and paid off officials to ensure that planes and boats carrying his cocaine could depart without detection or inspection.

The trial is also expected to include testimony that a former chief executive officer of U.S. refiner Citgo Petroleum - which is owned by state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela - helped Orense launder money in the mid-2000s, according to court records and a lawyer involved in a parallel case.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan accuse Venezuelan Carlos Orense of paying millions of dollars in bribes to senior military officials to protect cocaine he imported from neighboring Colombia for shipment to the United States.

A cooperating witness is also set to testify that a former chief executive officer of U.S. refiner Citgo Petroleum - which is owned by state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela - helped Orense launder money in the mid-2000s, according to court records and a lawyer involved in a parallel case.