Orejuela Brothers Sentenced to 30 Years in Plea Deal

In what has been called by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales “the final, fatal blow to the powerful Cali cartel”, Colombian drug lords Gilberto, 67, and Miguel Orejuela, 63, were sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The brothers pled guilty to charges of money-laundering and drug-trafficking and agreed to turn over $2.1 billion in assets. At one time the Cali cartel was believed to have been responsible for 80 percent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States.

To get the guilty plea prosecutors were forced to make a few concessions. Among them was an agreement to not prosecute a handful of family members for any charges related to the brothers. Family members were also allowed to keep some assets not related to drug money.

The U.S. has been investigating the Cali cartel for over 15 years, ever since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents discovered 12 tons of cocaine in the port of Miami.