Word: ochoa
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Also charged in the 12-count indictment were 15 others, including cartel leader Pablo Escobar Gaviria and a top Noriega aide, Capt. Luis del Cid. Cartel leader Jorge Ochoa Vasquez is mentioned in the document, but was not indicted...
Washington's drug war received a stunning setback two weeks ago when Colombian Billionaire Jorge Ochoa Vasquez, 38, a reputed drug baron, strolled out of Bogota's La Picota prison armed with a writ for his release signed by a Colombian judge. Ochoa's ruthlessness is legendary; after the coke magnate was arrested in 1984 in Spain at the DEA'S request, threats made against the lives of Americans residing in Bogota became so widespread that U.S. embassy children were evacuated. Extradited to Colombia in 1986 on a bull-smuggling charge, Ochoa was improperly released in August and eluded authorities...
Last week Colombian officials moved to repair the damage. Justice Minister Enrique Low Murtra announced that arrest warrants had been issued not only for Ochoa but also for four other leading members of the notorious Medellin Cartel, which supplies 75% of the cocaine consumed in the U.S. Once detained, Low vowed, all five would be extradited to the U.S. to stand trial on drug- related charges. Low also fired two top officials of La Picota...
Although U.S. officials still view the Bogota government as one of the more cooperative in the narcotics war, Ochoa's release and the Mexican government's continued foot dragging on the Camarena case illustrate the formidable difficulties of the campaign against Latin drug lords. Says DEA Chief Lawn: "Unless Colombia and Mexico can address their problems, there's no way we can deal with the supply of drugs within our own borders...
Precisely how Ochoa was sprung remains murky. One of his attorneys reportedly showed up at Bogota's La Picota prison with a writ for Ochoa's release signed by a Colombian judge. Given the overwhelming influence of drug lords in that country, the assumption was that Ochoa had either bought his way out of prison or had intimidated officials to ensure his freedom...