Jurors end 1st day in Texas horse ranch case

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Prosecutors told a federal jury on Wednesday that a man they say is the brother of leaders of Mexico's most blood-soaked criminal organization used the proceeds from their brothers' ill-gotten gains to bankroll his horse-racing stable.

Defense attorneys, however, say the federal government is trying to squeeze Jose Trevino Morales to get to two brothers reputed to be leaders of Los Zetas in Mexico.

The jury deliberated for about two hours Wednesday afternoon before recessing for the night. Deliberations are to resume Thursday morning.

Trevino is the central figure of five men charged in a Texas federal court with using a race horse breeding operation to launder millions of dollars in drug cartel money.

The prosecution's case rises or falls on the testimony of admitted criminals, including a hit man who has admitted involvement in multiple homicides, said defense attorney David Finn of Dallas.

Defense attorneys for Trevino have argued throughout that prosecutors wrongly targeted their client due to the alleged illegal actions of his brothers — Miguel Angel Trevino Morales and Oscar Omar Trevino Morales. Each time Jose Trevino Morales, a U.S. citizen, enters the United States, he is handcuffed and interrogated in the hope of extracting information about his brothers, Finn said.

"He's honest. He's ethical. He's frugal. He's not in the dope business," Finn said of his client.

"The government wants you to engage in what I call 'funky math.' That's zero plus zero plus zero plus zero equals something other than zero," he said.

But federal prosecutor Douglas Gardner said the government case was strong enough for conviction without the testimony of informants and cooperating witnesses.

"I want you to forget about the cooperators," Gardner told jurors. Speaking of Trevino and his co-defendants, he said, "They hang themselves by their actions."

As for motive: "It's about ego. It's about pride. It's about winning the horse race at all costs," Gardner said. "It's not built on sweat, ladies and gentlemen. It's built on the money from his brothers."

The defendants are charged with money laundering conspiracy related to operations of a horse ranch near Lexington, Okla. Prosecutors say ranch operators went through $16 million in horse-related expenses in 30 months. Several other defendants remain at large, including Trevino's brothers. His wife and daughter have pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

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CORRECTED-Birds Eye names Irish company as the source of horse DNA find

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Frozen food maker Birds Eye said horse meat DNA found in two of its products came from an Irish meat processor that is part of one of Ireland's largest agricultural businesses.

Birds Eye was drawn into the scandal last month when a chilli con carne sold in Belgium was pulled off retail shelves after testing positive for horse DNA. That also prompted the withdrawal of its spaghetti bolognese and beef lasagne products.

The company said investigations had found its Belgian supplier Frigilunch NV had unknowingly sourced meat with horse DNA from Irish meat processor QK Meats.

"Our investigation has shown that Frigilunch NV (who supplied these products to us) was itself supplied meat with horse in it by an Irish meat processor QK Meats," Birds Eye said in a statement on Tuesday.

"In total we have tested 250 products across Europe and confirmed three products as containing horsemeat," Birds Eye said.

The horsemeat scandal erupted in Ireland after its food safety authority discovered horse DNA in frozen beef burgers and the Birds Eye investigation brings more unwanted attention on the country's reeling beef industry.

"All other meat suppliers to Frigilunch NV have been given the all clear through both Birds Eye's and Frigilunch NV's separate testing programmes," the statement said.

Private equity group Permira owns the Iglo Group whose frozen food brands include Birds Eye in Britain, Iglo, which trades across much of continental Europe, and Findus in Italy.

Birds Eye said tests showed its beef burgers, beef pies and beef platters sold in Britain and Ireland did not contain horse DNA.

QK Meats parent firm is the Arrow Group, which is privately owned by Irish businessmen the Queally brothers who own shares in one of Europe's largest food processors, Dawn Meats.

In response, QK Meats said it never knowingly incorporated horse meat into any of its beef products and is investigating the contamination.

(Corrects Frigilunch NV to Belgian from Dutch; Queally brothers hold Dawn Meats shares, not own company)

(Reporting by Stephen Mangan; Editing by Jon Hemming)

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