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Notorious Cali Cartel Leaders Face U.S. Prison Time

A decade after they controlled most of the cocaine flowing into the U.S. from Colombia, brothers Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela pled guilty to federal drug charges in a Miami courtroom, the Miami Herald reported Sept. 27.

The pair, who once ran the Cali cocaine cartel, were sentenced to 30 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $2.1 billion in drug-related assets. "I am willingly submitting myself to American justice," said Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, 67.

"I want to apologize to my family and ask for forgiveness for any suffering I may have caused them," said Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela, 63. "I'm doing this fully convinced it will bring something better."

As part of a plea deal, 28 family members of the brothers will avoid facing drug charges, and the family will be allowed to keep some non-drug-related property. "The best chess players understand that every now and then you must sacrifice some important pieces for the safety and security of the entire board," said Miami lawyer David O. Markus, who represented Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela.

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