Jim Kouri
Cali Cartel captain sentenced to 21 years imprisonment
By Jim Kouri
William Rodriguez-Abadia, leader and son of the founder of the Cali Cartel, was sentenced today to 262 months' imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Federico A. Moreno for his involvement in a wide-ranging cocaine importation conspiracy that existed from 1990 to July 2002.
William Rodriguez-Abadia was one of the leaders of the infamous Cali Drug Cartel based in Colombia. He is the son of defendant Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela and the nephew of defendant Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela, who are the alleged founders of the Cali Cartel. Miguel and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela are scheduled to go to trial in September 2006 before United States District Court Judge Federico A. Moreno.
According to the prosecution, beginning in 1995, coinciding with the arrest of his father (Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela) and at his father's request, defendant Rodriguez-Abadia began operating various aspects of the Cali Cartel, an international drug syndicate directed for many years by Miguel and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela.
In particular, Rodriguez-Abadia became responsible for administering his father's portion of the Rodriguez-Orejuela family business enterprises, including: Drogas La Rebaja, S.A., a pharmacy chain of approximately 350 pharmacies; Laboratorios Kressfor de Colombia, a pharmaceutical company; and various other entities in Colombia. Defendant Rodriguez-Abadia helped initiate, develop, implement, and otherwise manage plans to launder and further conceal the Rodriguez-Orejuelas' drug profits through a variety of schemes involving these business entities.
In addition, according to the government investigators, Rodriguez-Abadia was responsible for arranging and ensuring the payment of bribe monies and payoffs to incarcerated Cartel employees and their families. These bribes and payoffs were made in an effort to prevent such cartel employees from becoming witnesses against Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela.
Rodriguez-Abadia took these actions in concert with, and after consulting with, Miguel and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela in furtherance of a wide-ranging conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States.
Rodriguez-Abadia took part in not only to facilitating the concealment of past drug trafficking activities, but also in facilitating the drug trafficking activities that Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela were continuing to engage in from within the La Picota prison in Colombia. These drug trafficking activities involved the importation of at least two loads of cocaine, each containing multiple hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, into the United States in 1997 and 1998.
Moreover, according to court statements and documents, Rodriguez-Abadia's activities occurred between 1995 and approximately 2001, when the defendant went into hiding due to a request forwarded by the United States government to the Colombian government for his provisional arrest.
During this period of hiding in various places in Colombia, Rodriguez-Abadia continued to reap the benefits of Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela's and Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela's drug trafficking, money laundering and corruption activities, as the fruits of this continued criminal activity provided him with the funds to remain in hiding.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, which is filed with the Court, Rodriguez-Abadia has agreed to cooperate with the United States and to testify at trial against his father Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela and his uncle Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela. Rodriguez-Abadia has also agreed to forfeit his right, title, and interest in all Rodriguez-Orejuela business entities in Colombia. Such business entities, which were financed with narcotics proceeds, have an estimated market value of $300 million.
© Jim Kouri
William Rodriguez-Abadia, leader and son of the founder of the Cali Cartel, was sentenced today to 262 months' imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Federico A. Moreno for his involvement in a wide-ranging cocaine importation conspiracy that existed from 1990 to July 2002.
William Rodriguez-Abadia was one of the leaders of the infamous Cali Drug Cartel based in Colombia. He is the son of defendant Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela and the nephew of defendant Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela, who are the alleged founders of the Cali Cartel. Miguel and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela are scheduled to go to trial in September 2006 before United States District Court Judge Federico A. Moreno.
According to the prosecution, beginning in 1995, coinciding with the arrest of his father (Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela) and at his father's request, defendant Rodriguez-Abadia began operating various aspects of the Cali Cartel, an international drug syndicate directed for many years by Miguel and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela.
In particular, Rodriguez-Abadia became responsible for administering his father's portion of the Rodriguez-Orejuela family business enterprises, including: Drogas La Rebaja, S.A., a pharmacy chain of approximately 350 pharmacies; Laboratorios Kressfor de Colombia, a pharmaceutical company; and various other entities in Colombia. Defendant Rodriguez-Abadia helped initiate, develop, implement, and otherwise manage plans to launder and further conceal the Rodriguez-Orejuelas' drug profits through a variety of schemes involving these business entities.
In addition, according to the government investigators, Rodriguez-Abadia was responsible for arranging and ensuring the payment of bribe monies and payoffs to incarcerated Cartel employees and their families. These bribes and payoffs were made in an effort to prevent such cartel employees from becoming witnesses against Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela.
Rodriguez-Abadia took these actions in concert with, and after consulting with, Miguel and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela in furtherance of a wide-ranging conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States.
Rodriguez-Abadia took part in not only to facilitating the concealment of past drug trafficking activities, but also in facilitating the drug trafficking activities that Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela and Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela were continuing to engage in from within the La Picota prison in Colombia. These drug trafficking activities involved the importation of at least two loads of cocaine, each containing multiple hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, into the United States in 1997 and 1998.
Moreover, according to court statements and documents, Rodriguez-Abadia's activities occurred between 1995 and approximately 2001, when the defendant went into hiding due to a request forwarded by the United States government to the Colombian government for his provisional arrest.
During this period of hiding in various places in Colombia, Rodriguez-Abadia continued to reap the benefits of Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela's and Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela's drug trafficking, money laundering and corruption activities, as the fruits of this continued criminal activity provided him with the funds to remain in hiding.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, which is filed with the Court, Rodriguez-Abadia has agreed to cooperate with the United States and to testify at trial against his father Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela and his uncle Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela. Rodriguez-Abadia has also agreed to forfeit his right, title, and interest in all Rodriguez-Orejuela business entities in Colombia. Such business entities, which were financed with narcotics proceeds, have an estimated market value of $300 million.
© Jim Kouri
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