![]() On September 1, 1996, Herrera turned himself in to the Search Bloc ( Spanish: Bloque de Busqueda), a unit of the Colombian National Police. In addition, records of transactions and personnel were seized from computers, which information later provided a greater look into the Cali Cartel cell structure. At the close of Operation Kingpin, nearly 100 traffickers were arrested, and more than $20 million in cash and assets, and over 2.5 tons of cocaine seized. Through a largescale wiretap effort, the DEA utilized over 100 simultaneous, court-authorized wiretaps on cellular phones. In November 1991, the DEA launched Operation Kingpin, which targeted two of Herrera's distribution cells in New York City. Herrera was always said to be the main financial provider for the Los Pepes organization, but his name was never officially associated with them. Another attempt on Herrera's life was made on July 27, 1991, in a summer resort: hooded gunmen wearing pink bracelets shot at the people in the place, killing 17 and hurting 13 others. The war between the cartels shed much of each side's blood, but Herrera took a back role and left the fighting to the Rodriguez brothers. The attack was attributed to the Medellin cartel, and particularly to Pablo Escobar, who apparently blamed Herrera for a car bomb which exploded on January 13, 1988, in the Monaco apartment building owned by Escobar in one of the most affluent areas in the city of MedellĂn. His name came to light only after a terrorist attack on a football field in Candelaria, Valle del Cauca, on Septem20 gunmen dressed in army and police attire opened fire on the crowd where Herrera was sitting, killing 18, but not hitting Herrera. ![]() ![]() Although it has been argued that he was the source of most of the money involved in the illicit financing of Ernesto Samper's presidential campaign, Herrera himself never spoke of the issue and was never formally involved in the investigation. Herrera always kept a very low profile and was never interviewed, and his name was almost never mentioned with that of the other leaders of the Cali cartel. It is believed that Herrera hired guerrilla forces such as Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (English: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) (FARC) and then guerrilla group 19th of April Movement ( Spanish: Movimiento 19 de Abril, M-19), to guard remote lab sites. The Herrera operation, according to the DEA, involved importing cocaine base from Peru and Bolivia, which would be trafficked via his own transportation to conversion laboratories in Colombia. Herrera was soon promoted to Cali cartel kingpin and given control over JamundĂ in the south of the Valle, and Palmira and Yumbo in the north and east of the Valle. Herrera also ran one of the "most sophisticated and profitable money laundering operations", according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. He would later open up trafficking routes for the Cali Cartel through Mexico, with connections he had previously established. In 1983, Herrera went to Cali, Colombia, to negotiate supply and distribution rights with the Cali Cartel for New York City.
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