This summary of articles deals with the Orejuela brothers, Gilberto and
Miguel Rodriguez, the leaders of the infamous Cali drug cartel found in Colombia.
The two brothers have been drug trafficking for many years, but this journal
chronicles their attempt to control the Colombian government over the past several
months.
The brothers were caught for drug trafficking late in the summer of 1995 and
were sentenced to 9 and 10 years with a chance of a 50% reduction for working while
in prison. That possible 50% reduction is thanks to a law they lobbied for. While in
jail, however, the leaders of the world's largest drug syndicate started their
manipulation of the Colombian government. The first acts the brothers made were
bribing congressmen to vote against anti-narcotic laws, and running their drug
syndicate using faxes and cellular phones all while they were in jail. The police
eventually caught on, but little could be done.
In 1992, 500 pounds of cocaine were found in a Tex...
Different images from US Federal Government (DEA) ...
English: http://www.dea.gov/pubs/history/1990-1994...The next act that reportedly pointed that the Cali drug cartel was responsible
for was the assasination of Odin Guttierrez Rico, a special prosecuter of high profile
drug cases. Guttierrez was shot nearly 140 times, and as if that were not enough, the
assasins then proceeded to run over his body with the getaway van. Guttierrez was
the eighth official to be slain in the past 11 months. This was one of the first articles
of extreme violence that with some researching pointed to the Cali drug lords.
The next thing on the list of the Cali cartel was to bribe one of Colombia's
highest ranking leaders, President Ernesto Samper himself. The brothers reportedly
paid President Samper 6 million dollars to use towards his presidential campaign.
Despite getting away with all this, the United States was able to strike its first blow as
it shutdown a...