Former Colombian Drug Lord Is Arrested

Associated Press ^ | Mar. 12, 2003 | SUSANNAH A. NESMITH

[Dubya]

BOGOTA, Colombia - The former head of one of Colombia's most powerful drug cartels was arrested Wednesday on new drug trafficking charges, only four months after he was released from prison, authorities said.

Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, who along with his brother Miguel ran the Cali drug cartel in the mid-1990s, was arrested in his hometown of Cali, according to the Attorney General's office.

Rodriguez was arrested as he left his home, authorities said. The charges involve a 1995 shipment of 330 pounds of cocaine to the United States, the Attorney General's office said.

Miguel Rodriguez is serving a 21-year sentence for drug trafficking after he confessed to sending the cocaine in question to Tampa, Fla. by way of Costa Rica, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said that Gilberto Rodriguez had not confessed to any involvement with the shipment.

His arrest comes just four months after he was released from prison, after having served half of a 15-year sentence for drug trafficking. Rodriguez' highly publicized November release embarrassed Colombian officials, who along with U.S. drug agents scrambled in vain to try to find new crimes to charge him with in an attempt to keep him behind bars.

A judge in November ruled Rodriguez had to be released because he had participated in a work-study program while incarcerated. His brother was also ordered released but officials were able to find an old unresolved case to prevent him from accessing the early release program.

The Rodriguez brothers controlled 80 percent of the world's cocaine trade after the death of Pablo Escobar in 1993 and the demise of his ultra-violent Medellin cocaine cartel. Their Cali-based empire moved multi-ton shipments of cocaine to the United States and across the globe.

[vbmoneyspender]

Former Columbian Drug Lord - that's a nice moniker, I wonder if he uses it on his resume.

[RS]

"Former Colombian Drug Lord Is Arrested"

The only Former Colombian Drug Lord is a Colombian Drug Lord that has assummed room temperature.

BTW- if you haven't read it "Killing Pablo" is a good book on the control that these guys have

[OldFriend]

Does the book discuss the help the drug lords are getting from Jerry Adams and his merry band of murderers?

[montomike]

Is there a 12 Step Program to get you off of drug lording? It must be very hard to do. I imagine they have to give up the mansions, the ferraris, the wicked and wild women, the power, and all the free drugs you can do. It must take quite a commitment.