Word: orejuelas
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...remaining drug lords want not peace, but a piece of the action once controlled by the Medellin cartel. That was underscored late in the week by the wild celebrations in the city of Cali, where rival drug lords gathered at a party hosted by cartel ruler Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela to toast the death of a hated enemy who had sworn to kill them...
...Cali cartel has already snatched most of Colombia's cocaine market from Escobar's weakened Medellin organization. But Escobar's vendetta against Orejuela and his Cali colleagues, who partially deafened Escobar's daughter in a bomb attack six years ago, had scared most of the barons away from taking advantage of Colombia's softened criminal statutes to turn themselves in. Now that he is dead, the Cali leaders are offering to stop trafficking, and even say they would be willing to serve limited jail sentences in exchange for relief from further prosecution and extradition...
...Orjuela Caballero is in jail in New York State awaiting trial on federal drug-trafficking conspiracy charges, brother Carlos is out on bail on similar charges filed against him in Los Angeles. Another brother, Jaime, the family boss, is free in Colombia. So are Don Chepe Santacruz, the Rodriguez Orejuela brothers and such rising powers as the Urdinola brothers. "You can't destroy the organization without lopping off its head," says DEA's Bonner. "The tentacles grow back. If the Cali cartel is to be attacked successfully, there must be pressure in Colombia...
...home, are not doing business as usual and will be arrested if found. Santacruz has kept out of sight since the government began its antidrug campaign after the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan in August 1989. But others seem to feel safe from prosecution. Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela is very much at home, defiantly proclaiming his innocence and that of his brother Miguel. Gilberto describes himself as a "captain of industry and banker" and has the portfolio to prove it. He also has reputable friends who are partners, associates or suppliers in his business ventures, which do much...
Meanwhile, TIME's Latin America bureau chief, John Moody, and Bogota reporter Tom Quinn had been angling for an interview with cartel patriarch Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela. Finally, word came in April that the "Chess Player" was ready to talk. Moody and Quinn flew from Bogota to Cali and waited tensely for a phone call. "We began to worry: Had Rodriguez changed his mind or, worse, was this some elaborate trap?" John recalls. About 50 journalists have been killed in Colombia since 1980. But the call eventually came, and they were driven to meet Rodriguez. The Cali chief talked calmly. "There...