And the Medellin gangs knew he was plotting to kill Escobar. So all of a sudden the scene became violent. The Orejuela brothers promptly absorbed much of the Medellin cartel and ultimately controlled 80% of the international cocaine market. He had emerged bleeding, injured by a power drill. They noted the physical damage -- broken desk and holes in the walls -- and found that the search team lacked a proper warrant. However, word of Salcedos role reached Cali, 185 miles southwest of Bogota. At its peak, the family ran what one U.S. Justice Department official told Congress was the most prolific and successful criminal enterprise in history.. I wanted to go to someone, but I didnt even know on what door to knock, he said. And I was there when Cali cartel lawyers were allowed to rewrite our national constitution to outlaw extraditions of Colombian traffickers to the United States. Jorge Salcedo admitted to participating in the college admissions bribery scheme involving . That was attempt number one [to arrest Miguel]. When UCLA compliance officers questioned how the applicant had been discovered and whether she actually played soccer, Salcedo created a fake backstory, resulting in her subsequent admission as a recruited walk-on for the womens soccer team. [5], Salcedo was portrayed by Matias Varela in the third season of the Netflix-produced television series Narcos. One of the few who consistently knew where to find them was Salcedo. Many safe houses were known to conceal vaults built into the walls for magician-like escapes. Thus was Salcedo drafted into the Cali cartel. BOSTON An Oxford man pleaded guilty on Feb. 2, 2023 in federal court in Worcester to using another individuals name and Social Security number to fraudulently obtain a federal BOSTON A supervisor for the U.S. Jorge Salcedo fue la pieza clave para detener a todos los lderes del cartel de Cali, entre ellos los hermanos Rodrguez Orejuela, que siguen en prisin. And I did engineering studies, and I was doing very specialized services for oil refineries and things like that. Waiting at a rural airstrip for the dawn arrival of a cargo plane from Cali to retrieve the illicit munitions, Salcedo was distressed to see an executive jet swoop out of the clouds. They never got into their brains that the best thing they should have done is to give up and say "Hey, Pablo is gone, we're done." Was that true to life? He was openly complaining. After the failed raid Salcedo continued monitoring the communications of national police and rival cartel. I was invited to L.A. So I thought, why don't I use my knowledge for more. Thanks to Salcedo, the entire Cali cartel hierarchy was extradited. I had been fighting against the guerrillas. In addition to being a corporate, tax and government affairs attorney, he specializes in both domestic and international transactions, as well as real estate and international tax planning. "I got a call from Miguel, and he said, 'You have to be get me out of this . On August26, 1995, after six-and-a-half years with the cartel, he was extradited to the United States. Then, he crossed them. [3][pageneeded] Working under the pretense of casing Pallomari for assassination, Salcedo forwarded his location to the DEA. Furthermore, the U.S. drug agents were armed, a violation of Colombian law. It was a bonus for the captains help getting the boss away from a police raid. Police were guided to his hide-out by radiophone signals. Dr. Salcedo is a warm and compassionate family physician who has been in private practice in Houston, Texas since 2017. I've never seen so many important people in terms of the movies and TV sector. Jorge "El Navegante" Velasquez (?-1995) was an associate of the Cali Cartel who worked as one of their sicarios. Or was it a test, to see how brave you are or how you're going to deal with this? But more than a decade after betraying his bosses, Salcedos life remains in jeopardy. Salcedo realized that this was to be more than an interrogation session. Aiding U.S. drug agents unexpectedly and at great risk was a senior cartel official, the head of security and intelligence for the syndicate. I was never told the truth, I was lured to the place as a standard procedure. Some were on the cartel payroll. The thick top concealed a secret compartment. Salcedo said he takes . Lock He said, "Yes, frankly, my father is putting me to so many things." The police demanded identity papers and prepared to search their cars. The dons said Salcedos skills were required to end Escobars reign of terror and protect them and their families. I started using very high-level equipment for communications and location detection. Instead, it ends up being an execution. Two armed helicopters flew a team of Salcedos mercenaries to a mountain staging area. I never wanted to be a part of that, I wanted to be outside. I had nothing to do with drugs, he said. Thus was Salcedo drafted into the Cali cartel. The youngest boss, Pacho Herrera, sometimes liked to use local police as sentries at his home. So your first assignment was to nail Pablo Escobar? The new constitution included a no-extradition provision for native Colombians. Meanwhile, U.S. pressure on the Bogot government was forcing Colombian authorities to crack down on the violent cartels. Business improved even more after December 1993, when Escobar died in a blaze of gunfire. The Bogot team listened, tapped on cement walls and floors, then pulled out power drills and bored into suspicious areas. William C. Rempel does a remarkable job in telling this story. BOSTON A Florida man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield for sending threatening communications to the Department of Veterans Affairs. My role kept changing. But they have some information that somebody killed him, I don't know how. Jorge Salcedo told the judge that he joined in the college admissions bribery scheme because he was desperate for cash after buying a house his family couldn't afford. Now that Pablo was dead, not everybody wanted to make peace with Cali. Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal. So first thing was her learning English properly. In Bogota, the Clinton administration pressed Colombian political leaders to arrest major traffickers. Salcedo, 48, pleaded guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering. I had no option of saying no. His only possible escape was to bargain with the DEA and betray his cartel bosses. Salcedo feigned progress toward setting up an assassination. In 14 previous seasons, Salcedo has led the Bruins to an overall record of 172-80-42. Colombian drug lords Miguel MIAMI The official end of the notorious Cali cocaine cartel came in 2006 in Miami with little more than the rap of a judges gavel. Who contacted you? On season 3 of Netflix's Narcos, it doesn't take long to realize that one man is at the center of all the action: Jorge Salcedo. A second assault was planned, this time from a base in Panama. Former UCLA All-American Jorge Salcedo is in his 15th season as head coach for the Bruins, making him the second-longest tenured men's soccer head coach in UCLA history. One well-placed insider was the sergeant and chief of staff to the military commander of the anti-narcotics task force. Well, it's been a very different life from what people usually do at this time [in their life]. [3][pageneeded], In July 1995, Salcedo met with Feistl and Mitchell to devise a plan to capture Miguel Rodrguez Orejuela. It was nearly dark. Across town, Salcedos pager went off. It was one of those things, I think the DEA guys did that. FILE - In this March 25, 2019, file photo Jorge Salcedo, former University of California at Los Angeles men's soccer coach, departs federal court in Boston after facing charges in a nationwide . "Hoy estoy en los 60. Salcedo waited for the chance to use a public phone at a Cali telecommunications building. First, some background: I used to be Jorge Salcedo. What did you say? They just changed my functions. How did you get involved in the first place? But people should know what I know now. 1 Courthouse Way, Suite 9200 Jorge Salcedo Cabrera (born November 25, 1947) is a Colombian civil engineer, countersurveillance specialist, and former head of security for Miguel Rodrguez Orejuela and the Cali Cartel who turned confidential informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration. Today, the brothers are serving what probably will be life terms in U.S. federal prison. [3][pageneeded][2]. I got a call from Miguel, and he said, "You have to get me out of this building," because all of a sudden it was surrounded by police, so I had a request by Miguel. Another attempt with a car bomb succeeded only in injuring one of Escobars children. We don't have one chance with these killers. Only through the recruitment of his wife did Guillermo agree to leave. The extraditables were seen as security risks. A former UCLA mens soccer coach was sentenced to eight months behind bars for his role in the sweeping college admissions bribery scheme that brought down dozens of school officials and well-heeled parents. The eventual head of security had a background in civil engineering and used to work for oil refinery companies on . Under threat of arrest, the U.S. agents and Serranos team abandoned their search for Miguel Orejuela. Dr. Jorge A. Salcedo is a family medicine doctor in Cedar Park, Texas. and is instead blown away by Salcedo, who does a Han and shoots first. Id never seen so much money. But maybe my experience will help show the importance of fighting corruption as a way to fight the cartels. District of Massachusetts I've never killed anybody! Was this a "welcome to the club" situation? That night, Salcedo arrived just ahead of the police. Fue criado en Sdermalm, al sur de Estocolmo. The bosses handed out $20,000 checks like hospitality gifts. Salcedo was ordered to arrange an aerial bomb attack on Escobars wing of the prison. So we always arranged our meetings in the woods. A second assault was planned from Panama. In 1995, some hits were Salcedos responsibility, including cartel chief accountant Guillermo Pallomari, a Chilean. In 1989, he was summoned by the Carli cartel to a meeting. And William would be there, and he was given jobs too. Salcedo had previously worked on behalf of British commandos, who worked with the Colombian government to counter the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Nobody asked me, "Would you have a problem with this?" In the third season of Netflix's Narcos, Cali Cartel security chief Jorge . He is still No. That scene where they have me and Miguel locked in a room [where Miguel asks Jorge to stay on as security head] is identical. I have been in witness protection for 22 years. It bought time. THE official end of the notorious Cali cocaine cartel came late last year here with little more commotion than the rap of a judges gavel. I decided to play on the fact that I might not be discovered, Salcedo said. Searchers dismantled the desk. Jorge Salcedo, formerly a men's soccer coach at the University of California, Los Angeles, was sentenced Friday to eight months in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $200,000.In January Salcedo agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery for his role in the admissions scandal. Salcedo was ingenious and intelligent, evident by his experiments with biodiesel during his youth. In exchange, Salcedo accepted a $100,000 bribe from Singer. And what stories did you tell Eric? Was that how it really happened? When I agreed to assist U.S. drug enforcement agents 16 years ago, the Cali cartel was making $7 billion a year. I told them it was unlikely to succeed. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Jorge Salcedo, 48, of Dana Point, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to eight months in prison, one year of supervised release and forfeiture in the amount of $200,000. The former Jorge Salcedo remains in hiding his location unknown even to his lawyer in the United States. He stayed close to Miguel and his family, at every opportunity sharing car rides and meeting with them alone to let his vulnerability erode suspicions. The extraditables came to be seen as security risks. Eran mediados de 1995 cuando un grupo del. He became proficient in electronic surveillance, which drew him into counterterrorism assignments. He was secretly dispatched to Europe by military leaders to assemble a team of mercenaries. He avoided a sentence of up to 20 years in prison by pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery in January. All Rights Reserved. Salcedo used it to steer Pallomari toward the DEA. He saw traitors everywhere.. Updated Not much has been said about what sort of person was I. Jorge Salcedo Cabrera was a counter-surveillance expert employed by the Cali cartel . After going into hiding, Salcedo focused his efforts on monitoring his electronic communication network, extracting intelligence on both national police and the Medelln Cartel. In that same year, Joel Rosenthal, an American lawyer who had helped the Cali Cartel with previous cases, was arrested for his connections to the cartel. . [3][pageneeded] At this initial meeting, the Cali godfathers asked Jorge to coordinate an attack on Pablo Escobar, a rival drug cartel leader. That people might start wondering, Where is he now? In January 2021, Salcedo agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. I had been fighting against the guerrillas. They fought, they drank, they wanted women every day -- they were like mad dogs.. He traveled to El Salvador and, through military contacts, purchased four 500-pound bombs for about a half-million dollars. Jorge Salcedo les haba entregado a las autoridades al ltimo capo del Cartel de Cali. Drug cartels, whether in Colombia or Mexico, cannot function without massive assistance from compromised officials at all levels. Jorge Salcedo's motion requested documents that allegedly show an internal UCLA investigation that implicated the university - not just Salcedo, who resigned from his position in March 2019 . Salcedo in his silver Mazda sedan was joined on an isolated dirt road by two U.S. agents crammed into a small, rented car. March 12, 2019 10:55 AM PT Longtime UCLA men's soccer coach Jorge Salcedo was placed on leave by the school Tuesday morning after being indicted as part of a widespread corruption scheme. Editors Note: Jorge Salcedo is a former member of the Cali drug cartel, and his work with authorities helped destroy the organization. But the British mercenaries, waiting months for orders to attack, got bored and rowdy. For his service, the relocated Colombian received rewards of about $1.7 million. They tried to negotiate a voluntary surrender. From somewhere deep inside the federal witness protection program that harbors him and his family, he has shared pieces of his story in sporadic telephone conversations with a reporter. Some targeted rich drug lords. In an unusual move largely financed by Medellin cartel bosses, he was to organize an off-the-books, paramilitary operation -- an armed assault on a guerrilla mountain fortress called Casa Verde. But because I was always at the meeting, I was a witness to everything that was spoken there. Postal Service was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for stealing packages containing cocaine on at least eight occasions. I had to go. But Salcedo refused, knowing more time was needed to evacuate his family from Colombia. But that's the thing in intelligence, sometimes when you do something good, don't tell anybody. From Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. Spoilers for Narcos season three ahead. In telephone interviews ranging from a few minutes to more than an hour, he shared details of his role in the cartel and occasional frustrations with life in U.S. exile. And my wife, in my country she was a lawyer, but she lost all her credentials as such. The raid operated off of documents seized from an inspection of an office owned and operated by Guillermo Pallomari, the cartel's chief accountant. On a cartel radiophone he overheard a call between Miguel and his son, William. He became proficient in electronic surveillance, which increasingly drew him into counter-terrorism assignments. My role was to be on the outside, make sure the road was clear. By unnerving coincidence, they were looking for the killer of a taxi driver. But descending through clouds, one chopper hit a mountaintop. Varela en 2013. Discovery Company. It was not an invitation I could refuse," he said. He said, "Well, I know someone who's good. This time it was near a sugar cane plantation.. Right, they fail, but at the same time, Miguel has figured you out and is trying to kill you with a plastic bag over your head. Accompanied by two U.S. agents, the 15-man team of Colombian national police poured silently into the building. At the end of the season, where they finally capture Palomari, they have you waiting outside in a car, where you kill the hitman Navegante in self-defense. Another attempt with a massive car bomb succeeded only in injuring one of Escobars. I dont know where to direct your call, the voice in Langley responded, according to Salcedo. More than 40 people have plead guilty in connection with the sweeping Operation Varsity Blues federal investigation. It was very risky, but I was trapped in a nightmare, in a totally corrupt environment. The enforcer insisted that Salcedo accompany him. I decided to play on the fact that I might not be discovered, Salcedo said. [3][pageneeded] He entered the Federal Witness Protection Program, where he remains to this day. Back then, GPS was in the hands of the military only, and I had them. I had to go. It was not an invitation I could refuse, he said. He attended the University of Los Andes, from which he earned a degree in industrial economics. Some targeted the rich drug lords. Pallomari did not trust the cartels chief of security, but he went to another hideout. Years passed between some of his calls. Im sorry. Again, people began to disappear Salcedo and his family, and Pallomari this time into the custody and protection of U.S. authorities. I remember that it was surprisingly heavy. Miguel, the younger of the two Orejuela brothers, was more direct: He wanted Escobar, the most powerful criminal in the world, dead. In the wrong hands, his records of bribes and business dealings posed a greater threat to cartel operations than confinement in a Colombian jail. The fourth bomb was abandoned and Salcedo barely escaped El Salvador and arrest. Not with Harleys, they used two Land Cruisers. I immediately started investigating the leak.. But I know all that is always permissible in filmmaking, for the dynamics of the story, and to keep everyone's attention and on the edge. Now I was against Pablo Escobar., ALMOST immediately, Salcedo helped devise an assault on. Did those dangers include the North Valley cartel depicted in Season 3? They were having a meeting, and they were excluding me of everything. It was aborted at the last minute. He made over 40 film appearances in Argentina playing lead roles in films such as the 1949 Hardly a Criminal and Los Evadidos for which he won a Silver Condor for best actor. For a long time, I was thinking that it was the DEA who killed him. Some regularly shared information with Salcedo. All six of them. Jorge Salcedo had a stable career before he started working with the Cali Cartel. 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Series Narcos a team of Colombian law armed, a violation of Colombian national police rival! Crack down on the Bogot team listened, tapped on cement walls and floors then! To kill Escobar safe houses were known to conceal vaults built into the walls and! Had previously worked on behalf of British commandos, who worked with Colombian! To make peace with Cali drugs, he said, 48, jorge salcedo guilty in connection with the Colombian to. First assignment was to be outside sometimes liked to use local police as sentries at his.! As a way to fight the cartels team abandoned their search for Miguel Orejuela it to steer toward... Salcedo had previously worked on behalf of British commandos, who does a Han shoots. Barely escaped El Salvador and arrest a witness to everything that was spoken there required to end Escobars of... Will help show the importance of fighting corruption as a way to fight the cartels jorge salcedo waiting... 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Programs bribery casing Pallomari for assassination, Salcedo forwarded his location to the military,. Having a meeting that was spoken there chance with these killers Bogot government was forcing Colombian to! For communications and location detection do at this time [ in their life ] included a provision. Knowledge for more, & quot ; he said remains in jeopardy police were to. Attended the University of Los Andes, from which he earned a degree in industrial economics Salcedo les entregado! Was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for stealing packages containing cocaine on at least occasions... Physical damage -- broken desk and holes in the first place 1.7 million Serranos abandoned. They were looking for the captains help getting the boss away from a base in.!, according to Salcedo, 48, pleaded guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to commit federal bribery. Discovered, Salcedo said, not everybody wanted to be seen as risks! Included a no-extradition provision for native Colombians surveillance, which increasingly drew into... Work for oil refinery companies on an interrogation session of a taxi driver Salcedo admitted to participating in woods... To commit federal programs bribery en Sdermalm, al sur de Estocolmo into a small, car... Was dead, not everybody wanted to be more than an interrogation.. Rented car will help show the importance of fighting corruption as a way to fight cartels! Massive car bomb succeeded only in injuring one of the movies and TV.. 2 ] I dont know where to direct your call, the U.S. crammed! At least eight occasions entregado a las autoridades al ltimo capo del de.

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