Accused Drug Kingpin Trial Begins

Mon Apr 22, 8:19 AM ET

By CATHERINE WILSON, Associated Press Writer

MIAMI - A reputed drug kingpin accused of ordering hits on three witnesses and bribing a juror will face an anonymous jury after one candidate reported a threatening phone call.

Jury selection in the trial of Sal Magluta was set to begin Monday with 65 people whose names will not be given to either side.

Magluta was acquitted on drug charges in 1996 but is charged with paying a $500,000 bribe to his jury foreman and hiring a Colombian hit team to kill the witnesses.

A jury candidate's husband reported receiving a threatening call on their unlisted home phone last week, prompting U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz to throw out questionnaires sent to more than 1,000 prospective jurors.

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