15 tons gets you 7, maybe 2
Dec 16th, 2009 | By Michel Marizco | Category: General News, Politics
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THE BORDER REPORT
This story’s a few months old but I like it because it shows nicely to what extent the U.S. simply doesn’t invest in punishing high-end drug traffickers.
The United States has entered into a plea agreement with one of Mexico’s most famed drug lords that ensures the man will not spend more than a few years behind bars despite having moved more than an average of 15 tons of marijuana across the border every year of his … illustrious … career.
Miguel Angel Caro Quintero, who headed the Sonora Cartel in the 1980s, is accused of moving nearly fifteen tons of marijuana and cocaine into the U.S. for years. His brother, Rafael Caro Quintero, is serving a 40-year sentence in Mexico for the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena.
Miguel was captured in Sinaloa in late 2001 and served eight years in that country before he was extradited to Colorado last winter to stand trial on indictments filed by the U.S. The Feds worked a suspect named Harold Allen Hughes, a Cessna pilot and smuggler dating back to 1967, recorded deals of upwards of 80-ton loads of pot moving through Sonora. Hughes, who worked with El Azul Juan Esparragoza as far back as 1973, was also in the growing business, raising some 30 tons of pot every year in Sonora, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua.
Court documents show that he went to work with Miguel Caro Quintero after Rafael’s arrest, moving loads into Tucson and Phoenix then driving half-ton loads up to Colorado. Cash was coming back at a rate of $300K a week in those heady days of the late eighties and nineties before a source fingered Hughes and Caro Quintero in 2001. The evidence seems a bit shady; according to court documents, the snitch “identified a photograph of Miguel Angel Caro-Quintero as the person that Hughes obtained his marijuana from …” between 1985 and 1989.
For his part, Caro Quintero has always proclaimed his innocence, saying that the Feds were simply retributing the murder of Kiki Camarena and that he’s simply a cattlerancher.
Nevertheless, last October, he pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking in Colorado and Arizona. Here’s where it gets a little sketchy. Sentencing won’t be held until February but I’m told that he will serve his five-year Arizona sentence concurrently with that of Colorado where he faces 10-20. However, I’m told that he’s really facing the lower end of the larger sentence minus the eight years he’s already served in Mexico. Bottom line: maximum seven years for a drug lord career that spanned nearly two decades. Possibly two years if he gets the ten and the court accepts the eight years he’s served in Mexico.
That’s what a great lawyer will do for you. I don’t even know what to think about the federal prosecutors …
Well, so much for me being quiet. They gave one of my family members 30 years for the same charges. Damn, you know how to pull my chain, Michael. The game is filthy!!!!!!!! That really pisses me off. I know some of the quintero’s. However, does anyone remember Francisco camerena? He was responsible for the douglas ap tunnel founf in the early 1990′s with Jamie Figeroa Soto and The Mighty El Chapo Guzman. The Quintero’s had their hand in it too. Anyway, Fancisco Camerena only got 8 years. Every person that reads these words, I think Jamie got the same amount of time as me. He was sentenced under the old federal sentencing guidelines. I was locked up in Tucson with Jamie while he was on trial. I met Francisco Camerena in CCA Florence in 1998. It has always sickened me to see the double standard. Terrible. And when I was in state custody, I never saw the state ever give these guys any significant time. Sucks. But at the same time, I like some of these people. So I will just shut up, I consider them friends. (Sorry Jamie)
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Dude, we get it, you were a drug trafficker, some bad shit happened to you, but to be honest, you’re kind of taking away your credibility here with always bringing it up.
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For sure, do you have anything to add about it? Easy to be critical. Appreciate your oppinion, though. These stories have and do affect a lot of stories. There is nothing you can do to take away my credability. I am who I am, just like these people are who they are. I am not ashamed of me at all. I enjoyed doing a lot of what I did. But this case just shows that the justice system does not work. But I will never attack you for adding a positive, instead of a negative. But thanks for putting me in my place.
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By the way, who is “we” that you are talking about. Do you have a mouse in your pocket?
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is Azul retired or what the hell? and what ever came of Eduardo Gonzalez Quirarte, i know a person with this name and he brought up some stories about back in the days but i dont think it is the same person and this guy basically fell off the radar after Amado died
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Does anyone know what is going on in Tijuana? I heard Teo was captured then released. Now there are reports of a dude dead with a note around his chest claiming he is the dead body of El Ingenerio. If that’s really him, Tijuana is abot to make Juarez look like a safe place to live.
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Arturo Beltran Leyva killed
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Lalo (quirarte) is a vegetable. Quedo pendejo, almost like all of them eventually end up. Bola de putos.
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Darth muerto o pendejo de todo el uso?
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yeah francisco camarena was based in ap and the tunnel ran from his house on the line to a warehouse in douglas jaime figueroa soto yeah he was arrested in 1988 in one of his million dollar houses in scottsdale just got out in 2006 from florence colorado probably one of the biggest drug traffickers tucson ever arrested
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hey rabbit u never did time in florence around 96 to 98 with rodolfo paredes machado
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Re-read the last line of the article. Eiher this case was flawed, or………the AUSA’s continue to be pussies.
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Was in florence in 1998. Johnny, I’ve been around. Understand, I respect these people. I still can’t place who you are, though. Take care of yourself.
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Rodolfo got busted in Gilbert Arizona right before me. Was all over the news. Was talking about it with friends on the phone at the time. My phones were tapped. so it was on the recordings during my trial.
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hey rabbit from what i know Rudy got busted in st david area along with two other people in nov . 1996.
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No, amigo, look on the maricopa superior court web site. He got hit with a ton in early 1995 in Gilbert Az. I’ll look up the case number for you on the web site. I was talking with my brother about it at the time and my phones were tapped. The cops got it on tape. I’ll post it.
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CR1995-002693. Just got it off of the superior court web site from Maricopa county. Look it up.
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j cruz nos dijo todo de h.pin y f .tru y e.chz conehito frnco
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Cruz, he fooked me so bad it isn’t funny. He was told that the guy he was doin business with was cop. He went and did it anyway. Come on. That’s wrong. Carlos, come on. Stopp bullshitting. I can put you all on front street.
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J Cruz is a dumb ass. If you take info from him I feel sorry for you. He is the rat!
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hey rabbit right right do u live area the douglas area and no i am not a morales do u know ramiro cabada morales and a american named michael thomas
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No, those names I am not familiar with. I spent a lot of time in dogbone when I was younger. I left az a while ago. Too much drama for me. I still talk to friends on both sides, though. I am exiting border report for a while. I have made an ass of myself bickering back and forth with idiots. Good luck. Amigo. Wish your people well. You sound like you know the game. God bless.
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so no one heard about jaime boroquez better known as ” cartero” getting gunned down in ap yesterday evening for those of u who dont know him hes a ap mafioso originally from sinaloa
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I haven’t heard that, Johnny. I used to love ap. Place is a drag now.
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yeah well its true
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if you want to know where is rodolfo paredes machado, one of the guys from sonora cartel i can give you that information, hes the brother of manuel leobardo paredes machado, one of the most famous drug dealers from mexico. who was killed couple years ago in agua prieta sonora.
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