Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela

Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, also known as "El Ajedrecista" ("The Chess Player"), is a 65 year-old Colombian druglord, head of the Cali Cartel, based in the southwestern city of Cali.

Gilberto Rodríguez founded the Cali Cartel in the 1970s together with his brother Miguel and José Santacruz Londoño. [cite news | title = DEA History Book, 1990 - 1994 |publisher = DEA | url = http://www.dea.gov/pubs/history/1990-1994.html ]

He was nicknamed "The Chess Player" for his cunning and ability to stay one step ahead of his rivals and the authorities. Though his Cartel is known to have a very violent reputation, he would use bribery and in many cases, was considered a businessman, earning the respect of the region.

After the death of rival drug lord Pablo Escobar, leader of the Medellín Cartel, Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and brother Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela became the top priority for Colombian authorities. They were captured in Cali in 1995, during the administration of President Ernesto Samper Pizano, whose term was haunted by widespread accusations of allegedly receiving donations from the Cali Cartel. The other founding member of the cartel and personal friend of Rodriguez, Jose Santacruz Londono, was shot the year after by authorities trying to apprehend him.

President Samper dispatched a "joint task force" called the "search Bloc" formed by top police and elite commandos headed by Police General Rosso Jose Serrano declaring an all out war against the drug cartels.

Capture

Police and commandos raided a luxury apartment in Cali, where Rodriguez was found crouching in a wardrobe. He was among the very first Cali Cartel drug lords to be arrested.

Gilberto Rodríguez was sentenced to fifteen years in prison, which was eventually reduced to seven for good behaviour and the confession of several of his drug-related crimes.

He was temporarily freed in early November 2002, due to a controversial judicial order issued by deputy judge Pedro José Suárez, who considered that the above reduction was applicable through habeas corpus.

Four months later, Gilberto Rodríguez was recaptured by Colombian authorities in Cali, in March 2003. [http://www.voanews.com/spanish/archive/2003-03/a-2003-03-13-3-1.cfm] He was accused of having shipped 150 kilograms of cocaine to the US in 1990. The fact that this was a crime to which he had not previously confessed was used against him for his arrest. US authorities initially accused him of continuing to manage his illegal activities; shipping drugs to the U.S. in 1997 from the Colombian jail in which he had been held since the mid-1990s.

Extradition to the United States

Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela was extradited to the United States on December 3, 2004. On March 11, 2005 Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela was accused of conspiracy to export illicit drugs to the United States. Later declarations made by federal attorney Marcos Daniel Jiménez after the drug lord’s arrival in the U.S. apparently referred to the possibility of Gilberto Rodriguez being tried for his entire criminal record (including his pre-1997 activities) have generated some controversy. As a reaction, Colombian authorities were quick to point out that under the extradition authorization terms set by the Colombian Supreme Court (which the Colombian government is obliged to keep), the US may not process Gilberto Rodríguez for his previous criminal record.

Trial

These issues were litigated by the Rodriguez brothers in the Southern District of Florida. Gilberto was represented by David Oscar Markus [http://www.markuslaw.com] , who filed the motion to enforce the order of extradition.

On September 26, 2006, both Gilberto and Miguel were sentenced to 30 years of prison, after pleading guilty to charges of conspiring to import 200 tons of cocaine to the U.S. [cite news | title = Colombian drug lords jailed in PANAMA| publisher = BBC News | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5383164.stm ]

David Markus argued that the brothers acted "honorably" by pleading guilty without agreeing to cooperate ("snitch") because the agreement saved 29 family members in Colombia. The United States agreed not to prosecute these individuals as a result of the guilty plea.

References

External links

* [http://www.voanews.com/spanish/archive/2003-03/a-2003-03-13-3-1.cfm Arrestado en Cali Narco Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela]
* [http://www.markuslaw.com David Oscar Markus: Criminal Defense & Appellate Level]