MR. ACOSTA: To add to what the Attorney General said, as the Attorney General said, this is the final and fatal blow to the Cali Cartel. I think that option is in there. Well be working with the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department regarding the access of the 28 family members into the United States, so thats something that remains to be worked out. Members of the constituent assembly, drawing up a new Magna Carta for Colombia, were approached by Escobar emissaries with the usual offer: 'Take our money, vote for us or die.'. By putting traffickers on the defensive, life is much better in Colombia. Its part of the judicial system. Today, the government poured heavily armed troops, accompanied by tracking dogs, into the area around Medellin and the nearby town of Envigado, site of the prison. What the President has said -- what he wants to see with respect to TSP is additional authority granted by the Congress to support that program. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. And now I would like to introduce John Walters, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Today's guilty pleas and the sentencing that they received show that when law enforcement and countries band together like the United States and Colombia, drug dynasties topple. QUESTION: What happens to the 28 relatives that have -- do they get off? ", Martinez noted that U.S. officials have frequently raised concerns about the security of the Envigado prison and been repeatedly reassured by Colombian officials that the prison was secure and that Escobar "would face justice.". There were some smaller players at the time, but -- and I dont remember what the aggregate estimate of total flow to the United States was at that time. QUESTION: Ambassador, you read that statement, but may I ask you, in your own words, to describe for us what kind of hold the Cali Cartel had on Colombia in the 1990s and what this -- the resolution of this means for Colombia? Into the new constitution was written a prohibition of the extradition of native-born Colombians. Were going after them, and theyll be here one day, I am sure. And to conclude with the entire leadership of the FARC, which has been charged in the United States and is now trying to avoid the same inevitable fate as the Rodriguez-Orejuela brothers and their cartel today. The trucks stopped at the gates of the prison, and a robed Escobar looked down at the trucks and ordered his men to gather their weapons and prepare for a fight. With Escobar inside the 'cathedral' prison at Envigado, it soon became clear that little had changed except that the army was now openly protecting the world's most notorious cocaine trafficker. In court this morning, the two brothers agreed to pay a $2.1 billion forfeiture. Escobar and his associates developed the fight against extradition by terrorism: the assassination of ministers, judges and police officers, and bombings that killed hundreds of civilians. MS. TANDY: I expect that every cartel, whether it was Medellin, Cali, Norte de Valle, and the FARC will reach the same fate as the Ore Eula brothers. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning.

In addition, in a separate agreement, 28 of the Rodriguez-Orejuela family members agreed to forfeit all of their assets anywhere in the world that were obtained directly or indirectly with narcotics proceeds.

ATTORNEY GENERAL GONZALES: Theyre currently not charged with anything. I dont remember. We are attacking traffickers across all fronts, as you've heard, by eradication, interdiction and organizational attack.

A narcotics investigator said Escobar had raised over Dollars 500 million ( pounds 278 million) in this way to finance a possible escape. By reducing cultivation in fields, we increase the financial risk to growers and take income away from illegal armed groups that control the production of the end cocaine cycle. Weve gotten very involved with the Caribbean, with Central America, sharing information, seeking to help them with security. I am pleased to be joined at the podium by Ambassador Carolina Barco and wish to extend my deepest thanks on behalf of our country for the partnership and the bravery of President Uribe and the Colombian government. 'Now you will turn over all their resources to me. Finally, I'd like to take a moment and introduce a representative of Colombia, Ambassador Carolina Barco, who has been an ally in Colombia, and we're fortunate to have her here today as a representative and our ambassador from Colombia to Washington, D.C.

Escobar had free rein within the walls of his fortress, and the American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sought to prove that he was violating his surrender terms. One of Gaviria's advisers advised him to send a DAS hostage negotiation team to the scene, and Gaviria wondered why the army had not already taken Escobar into custody; because General Ariza was from Medellin, Gaviria secretly believed him to be corrupt. When the prisons director and the vice-minister of justice arrived, they were taken hostage with guns snatched - rather too easily - from the guards. But their drug fortune became their Achilles heel. Obviously, this is a huge achievement for the agencies after such a long investigation, but as you dismantled this organization has the supply of cocaine in the U.S. gone up, down, or stayed the same from these successor organizations? Thanks to truly historic cooperative efforts by U.S. law enforcement agencies and the Colombian government, these men today face U.S. justice. Eduardo Sandoval being held as a hostage by Escobar. He apparently told them they were only free because he had led the fight against extradition and made the deal to turn himself in. MR. WALTERS: The effort we use from multiple agencies to assess the overall production and flow suggests that the effort to reduce the cultivation has been successful in Colombia, a significant drop in the overall output from the Andes in cultivation of cocaine. General Ariza told his men that Lieutenant Dominguez would lead the men, and he gave him the authorization to shoot at the enemy if the soldiers were fired upon. Were following the system. These guilty pleas also mark the end of one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world. Troops later freed him. They dont submit a tax return.

The brothers' guilty pleas effectively signal the final fatal blow to the powerful Cali cartel. Caracol said it was convinced the caller was Escobar , based on comparisons with voice recordings. Are they removed from the list? QUESTION: Yes. This "prison", La Catedral, was more of a fortress and a resort, as he was guarded by his own men, and no planes or policemen were allowed within four kilometers of La Catedral. That night, Escobar ordered his guards to fire on anyone who tried to enter the building, and his henchman "Blackie" told Escobar that President Gaviria had sent Eduardo Sandoval to negotiate with him. So well have to wait and see. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. So there are signs of less availability, but the players have changed in the 15 years since this investigation has started. One of them, Santacruz Londono, built an enormous mansion shaped like the United States to honor, as he said, his customers. QUESTION: Mr. Attorney General, to whom will these assets be forfeited? Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The heart of this financial network was the Colombian drugstore chain Drogas La Rebaja as well as pharmaceutical laboratories like Pharmacoup, which allowed the Rodriguez-Orejeulas to launder their narcotics proceeds while also providing an ostensibly legitimate source of income for them and their families.

When OFAC designates a person or company, any assets held by a U.S. person or bank anywhere in the world must be frozen. When Escobar murdered his treacherous lieutenants Gerardo Moncada and Fernando Galeano within the prison walls, the news reported these rumors, leading to President Cesar Gaviria being advised to move Escobar out of the prison. They each were immediately sentenced to 30 years in prison. Any future dealings with narcotics traffickers including on behalf of the two still designated Rodriguez-Ore Eula brothers will land them back on our list. Gaviria did not speak on the phone, hearing Sandoval ask Escobar how long he would be held. As I said, weve lost many lives: presidential candidates, prosecutors, governors; and it has meant that the country has had to hold together to fight these cartels. They have also committed to assist U.S. and Colombian authorities in any future forfeiture actions. In his radio and televison broadcast, President Gaviria had to admit that Escobar was nowhere to be found, that the area was being searched again and again, but that the troops could not even find a tunnel complex, much less any sign of the most wanted drug baron and nine of his men.

And it was the hundreds of pharmacies that concealed and sheltered their drug profits that paved their way to the ultimate American justice that they received today. Looking at the -- and the reason, the reason why those assets may seem small in comparison to what you find in Colombia is because these criminals have learned that if you have assets in the United States, youre likely to lose them.

MS. MYERS: Today's historic plea agreements are the culmination of 15 years of commitment, international teamwork and exceptional investigative efforts by many agencies. The original negotiations for a surrender agreement were the product of a long, careful campaign: over the years the men from Medellin had campaigned to convince the Colombian public that extradition was 'imperialist interference' in the country's internal affairs. The events discredit the Colombian government programme of negotiated surrender. All I can say is that, for Colombia, the drug problem has been its major challenge, and we have been fighting this since the 1980s with great conviction and at great cost. And I'd like to single out ICE Special Agent Ed Cazarossci in particular for his incredible efforts on this case. I want to extend a special thanks to our exceptional narcotics team at OFAC.

This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. If the 28 Rodriguez-Ore Eula family members fully comply with the terms of this agreement and meet all terms of removal, we will work to remove them from OFACs list. Already the president's resignation has been called for, and the congress is to hold hearings to determine responsibility. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. QUESTION: The history of breaking down big cartels like the Medellin Cartel is that you have then a hundred little cartels that are even more efficient.

The Rodriguez brothers' arrest is a testament to the men and women of the Columbian National Police, other Colombian officials, the dedicated efforts of ICE, DEA, personnel from the high intensity drug trafficking areas that involve state, federal and local law enforcement, and for all the prosecutors and enforcement personnel that made this case a reality. One police report showed that in the first three months of his detention he received more than 300 unauthorised visits, including many from wanted criminals, such as Dandeny Mutildenos, later captured in the US while on an Escobar mission to kill witnesses in the Noriega trial. I think we can see from this investigation how, even though it spanned 15 years, they changed techniques, you know, put it in frozen broccoli, put it in ceramic tiles, you know, operating from jail cells, but law enforcement continued. MR. SZUBIN: Thank you. We believe there are additional assets that will be found in the countries of Ecuador and Spain, and so those countries would receive those assets. Along with ten other journalists, he was held for nearly eight months in an ultimatelyunsuccessful attempt to extort a promise from then President Csar Gaviria that the ColombianGovernment would not extradite drug traffickers to the United States. QUESTION: Can you estimate the total drug -- illegal drug profit by the cartel from 1991 until today? His lawyers haggled over details of security, establishing Escobar 's right to be protected by his own men and hand-picked prison officers inside the jail, with the army's Fourth Brigade outside, and his enemies from the police banned from a three-mil e radius. Has the administration agreed to that, and wouldnt that in effect put an end to the program that the President acknowledged? Concordia is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Violence and homicides, massacres have dropped to levels not seen in decades.

This morning Miguel and Alberto Rodriguez-Orejuela, brothers who ran the infamous Cali drug cartel in Colombia for more than 20 years, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Miami to a charge of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States. Escobar had telephones, fax facilities and secure radio transmitters that allowed remote control of his crime empire. And thats what well do for smaller cartels or for big cartels is well work together as a group to dismantle these. Some sources insist they were shot by the invading soldiers as they defended Escobar 's men. Together we have proven that Colombia will not be held hostage by drug lords, and that those who seek to flood the neighborhoods of the United States with the poison of illegal drugs will be held accountable. The cartel leader turned himself in last year after being assured he would not face U.S. justice but would be jailed at the luxurious ranch that he left Wednesday with nine other "prisoners" after a shootout. So Escobar began to bargain to take the pressure off and for a guarantee that he would not be sent for trial in the US. QUESTION: And, Im sorry, whats here? Mr Mendoza described his release as taking place 'amidst hails of gunfire and explosions'.

The vice-minister, Eduardo Mendoza, later said the most savage of Escobar 's henchmen, know as 'Popeye', put a cocked Uzi to his head and screamed he was going to kill them both. AMBASSADOR BARCO: I will be reading a statement sent by Mario Iguaran, who is the Attorney General of Colombia and who worked very closely with the Attorney General here in the United States.

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While at the height of their power, the intimidation and violence of their cartel held the people of the Colombian countryside hostage to fear. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies.

We have focused in particular on the notorious Cali Cartel, designating over 700 entities and people that were operating as fronts for Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela. Weve got a wealth of talent up here with a lot of experience and information, so were happy to take your questions. The $2.1 billion forfeiture that was adjudicated this morning is the result of the Rodriguez-Orejuela brothers admitting to the trafficking of more than 200,000 kilos of cocaine in court this morning. He had it sent back twice for revisions that strengthened the guarantees against extradition and increased the sentence reductions to the point where he could be confident of serving less than three years. Evidence is available that before his escape, Escobar was holding court to half the criminals of the nation. They monitored phones. Well, the plan to deal with the successors to the Cali Cartel is to use the same innovative techniques and partnerships that weve done in this case, to work with the DEA, with OFAC, to go after where we see the strong players in this area. I think its probably going to be bank accounts, maybe life insurance policies. ATTORNEY GENERAL GONZALES: Julie, you want to --. Are there are contacts with them? Actually, for the -- we have more precision in some of the actions of the Cali members because they were -- some of them were -- some of them that are sentenced today were control freaks and insisted on accounting and being directly involved in that. ATTORNEY GENERAL GONZALES: Okay. For years, the Cali cartel leaders thought they could operate beyond the reach of law enforcement. Escobar decided to flee, but he gave orders for Sandoval to be left alive, hoping for him to be killed by his own government, like Diana Turbay was in 1991. A man claiming to be Escobar told the Caracol radio network he first wanted guarantees of safety. And we certainly hope that we can get something -- both pieces of legislation passed this week, and we understand there are challenges given the legislative calendar, but theyre very important, and we continue to hope that Congress will be able to pass the legislation this week. The first decree offered reduced sentences in exchange for surrender. Our strategy in Colombia is working. Two traffickers, Fernando Galeano and Gerardo Moncada, were blatantly taken to the prison for a final interview with Escobar . We have a rough estimate of how much they were responsible for, but whether they got the wholesale or the retail price can radically change the rates of inflation.

QUESTION: Besides the $2.1 million that they decided to turn into the authorities, did they agree to cooperate with the Justice in other processes against other cartels? These two men were responsible for importing more than 200 tons of cocaine into this country over the course of many years. The terms of surrender were worked out through associates in public positions - the regional attorney-general, for example, who took a leading role in the negotiations, turned out to be a relative of Escobar 's. I would also like to acknowledge the terrific partnership of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, represented here by Director John Walters. Escobar , his brother, and eight other cartel members escaped from a jail near Medellin on Wednesday after the Colombian government bungled an attempt to transfer him to a military jail. "What happened at the jail . "Despite the good intentions of the Colombian government, apparently this was not the case," said Martinez. Im Adam Szubin, the director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the Treasury Department. Its entire leadership has been indicted here in the United States. A man identifying himself as Escobar called the Medellin station of Radio Caracol from "somewhere in the Colombian jungle" to propose the extraordinary bargain, the station said. We will continue to fight for values that have to do with honest work and not values that are associated to fast money and drug trafficking. ATTORNEY GENERAL GONZALES: Well, these are two very important programs, two important pieces of legislation.

MR. WALTERS: Thank you, Karen. For ten years, the OFAC investigators have pursued the Rodriguez-Orejeulas dirty assets around the world, uncovering new front companies in Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, and six other countries, as the family attempted to mask its financial trails and circumvent our sanctions. In the past two weeks a dozen Medellin crime leaders were kidnapped and killed on Escobar 's orders. Employees compared a recording of the caller's voice with previous Escobar tapes and said they were satisified the voice was his. In1992, he returned to Bogot and founded Pas Libre (Free Nation), an organization to assist thevictims of kidnapping and their families. Escobar 's nephew, Nicolas Escobar , later phoned to confirm the offer. Sandoval was taken hostage by Escobar, who knew that he was lying when he explained the false reasons for him being moved, and Sandoval was told to negotiate with Gaviria on the phone.

So I cant get any more specific than that. That would be for activities that were not narcotics trafficking activities but simply obstruction. Gaviria, who postponed a trip to Spain for a meeting of Iberian-American heads of state, remained closeted with key advisers for much of the day. We have a standard procedure in place that is followed with respect to leaks of classified information, and I suspect that that standard procedure will be followed in this case as it is in virtually every other case. The others, therefore, owed him respect, loyalty and an increased share of profits. And so I think thats the current state of play. In the last three years, law enforcement has completely dismantled 24 CPOT organizations and significantly disrupted one additional CPOT organization.

That is important as far as the President is concerned to continue to fight effectively the war on terror. In December 1990, the Ochoa brothers tested the waters by surrendering, and Escobar made his own arrangements for comfortable incarceration.

Trade with or through the United States is cut off.

MS. TANDY: The FARC, as I said, has been indicted. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. In that spirit, I want to thank and congratulate the investigators and prosecutors who were involved, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security, represented here by Julie Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security; the Drug Enforcement Administration represented by Karen Tandy, the DEA Administrator; the Office of Foreign Asset Control at the Treasury Department represented by Adam Szubin, the director; the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida, represented by U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta; the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York, represented by Deputy U.S. Attorney Cathy Seibel; and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section of the Criminal Division and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces at the Department of Justice represented by Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher.