Jorge Alberto Rodríguez
| Jorge Alberto Rodriguez | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 19, 1971 Ciudad Jardin, Sur, Valle Del Cuaca, Colombia, also reported as Dover, Delaware |
| Other names | Don Cholito, Don Duboc, Prince Malik Ash Shakur, Prince Shalom Weiss, El Senor, The Candyman |
| Criminal penalty |
25 years (300 months) for conspiracy to import cocaine 15 years (180 months) for money laundering and controlling an international criminal enterprise, sentences to run concurrently. Forfeiture of $630 million in assets. |
| Criminal status | Released (presently residing in Bronx, NY, United States) |
| Conviction(s) | Conspiracy to import 5kg or more of cocaine. Conspiracy to engage in money laundering, Bribery of Public Officials. |
Jorge Alberto Rodriguez Herrera (born 19 November 1971), also known as Don Cholito, is a notorious Colombian/Puerto Rican drug lord from Bronx, NY who headed The 400, a dismantled secret cell of the Cali Cartel. His birthdate is often reported as 19 April 1966 or 8 December 1962); Cedula No. 79290554 (Colombia); Passport 79290554 (Colombia), based on government-issued passports found in his home after his arrest.
The 400
Rodriguez entered the smuggling business in 1983 under the tutelage of his father, Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, eventually creating a cell known as The 400, which employed 400 extremely skilled, educated and dangerous criminals from around the world, including numerous top-level government officials. He soon seized control of the United States cocaine market after assassinating his rival, Juan Carlos Melendez. Rodriguez was allegedly one of the most ruthless drug lords and was a suspect in various murders. He was also linked by Colombian police to the 1989 massacre of twelve members of a family outside of Barranquilla, Colombia. The family was related to a drug dealer that had an unpaid debt to the Cali Cartel. He was also known for laundering over US$40 million via Colombia to finance a fleet of planes in the United States.
Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act
In October 1995, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Rodriguez under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Also referred to as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers), for his involvement in drug trafficking along with eleven other international criminals.[1] The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the United States, at the time estimated to be in excess of $900 Million[2]
Arrested
Rodriguez was arrested on July 6, 1990 by U.S. Customs and a Special Forces Unit of the U.S. Army in Tallahassee, Florida after orchestrating the importation of 100 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.[3] After a 3-day trial in October 1990, he was found guilty and sentenced to serve 25 years imprisonment for the narcotic offenses and an additional 45 years for heading an International Criminal Enterprise. U.S. Bureau Of Prisons Prisoner Registry Number: 09086-017. In 1998 the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) described Rodriguez as the most powerful drug trafficker in the U.S. of his era. He is regarded as one of the wealthiest criminals in history, with an estimated net-worth of US$3.7 billion.[4][5]
References
- ↑ "DESIGNATIONS PURSUANT TO THE FOREIGN NARCOTICS KINGPIN DESIGNATION ACT" (PDF). United States Department of the Treasury. 15 May 2014. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ↑ "An overview of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act" (PDF). United States Department of the Treasury. 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ↑ 981 Federal Reporter 2d. 1199: United States of America vs. Jorge Alberto Rodriguez
- ↑ DEA Congressional Testimony, October 23, 2011
- ↑ Office of Foreign Assets Control: Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 77 / Thursday, April 23, 2009 / Notices