*Plaintiff Kicks, Proposes May 31
THE United States (US) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have requested a 90-day extension from the US District of Columbia to produce documents relating to an alleged drug investigation involving President Bola Tinubu in the 1990s.
The request was submitted on Thursday, May 1, in a joint status report filed with the court in the case following a series of Freedom of Information Act requests by an American legal transparency advocate and Founder of the platform PlainSite, Aaron Greenspan.
Greenspan is seeking the release of records connected to a Chicago-based drug ring and has named Tinubu, along with three others.
The court, presided over by Judge Beryl Howell, had earlier ordered the FBI and DEA to provide a status update on the search and release of non-exempt documents by May 2, 2025.
However, in the latest filing, both agencies said they needed more time to complete their searches, saying: “Aaron Greenspan (“Plaintiff”) and Defendants- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)- the only remaining defendants in this case, respectfully submit the following joint status report, proposing a schedule to govern further proceedings, pursuant to the Court’s Order of April 8, 2025 (ECF No. 47).
“Pursuant to the court’s order, the defendants, FBI and DEA, must search for and produce non-exempt records responsive to the plaintiff’s FOIA requests (FBI Requests Nos. 1588244-000 and 1593615- 000, and DEA Request Nos. 22-00892-F and 24-00201-F).
“The FBI and DEA have initiated their searches for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable portions of records requested by the plaintiff and anticipate completing their searches in ninety (90) days.”
Greenspan opposed the delay, arguing that the agencies had already delayed the process for years and that some documents had already been identified.
He proposed a much shorter deadline: “Given the years-long delay already caused by the defendants and the fact that many responsive documents have already been identified, the plaintiff proposes that the FBI and DEA complete their searches and productions by next week, or, at the very least, produce unredacted versions of the already-identified documents by next week, with the remainder completed in 14 days.
“The defendants provide no rationale for why their search for documents should take 90 days.
“The FBI and DEA have initiated their searches for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable portions of records requested by the plaintiff and anticipate completing their searches in ninety days.”
The FOIA requests, filed between 2022 and 2023, sought records from multiple federal agencies.
Initially, the FBI and DEA issued “Glomar responses,” refusing to confirm or deny the existence of relevant records.
The court later declared this response inappropriate, ordering them to proceed with full or partial disclosures where applicable.
Greenspan is also seeking reimbursement of $440.22 in filing and mailing costs.
The two sides remain at odds over when the next joint status report should be filed.
While the agencies proposed July 31, Greenspan urged the court to set the deadline for May 31, 2025, adding: “The plaintiff intends to ask for a refund of the filing fee of $402.00 and $38.22 for certified mail postage, totalling $440.22.
“The defendants propose that the parties submit a joint status report on or before July 31, 2025 to update the Court on the case status following the agencies’ search for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable records requested by the plaintiff.”
“The plaintiff proposes that they submit a joint status report on or before May 31, 2025,” the report added.
