Pubdate: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Copyright: 2006 Sun-Sentinel Company Contact: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159 CALI DRUG CARTEL SUSPECTS CLOSE TO PLEA DEAL IN MIAMI, LAWYERS SAY Agreement Would Benefit Their Relatives The two brothers accused of running Colombia's notorious Cali cocaine cartel are close to pleading guilty in a deal with federal prosecutors that would give benefits to their family members, defense lawyers for Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela said Friday. The men "are trying to do the honorable thing and save their family," said David O. Markus, attorney for Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela. The agreement, expected to be finalized as soon as next week, does not require the accused drug kingpins to cooperate with the government in other drug cases, he said. But the settlement is no sweetheart deal for the brothers. The tentative agreement calls for a 30-year sentence, meaning the men are likely to spend the rest of their lives in prison. In addition, they would give up billions of dollars worth of assets, said individuals close to the case who wished to remain anonymous. "We're just about there," said Roy Kahn, who represents younger brother Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela. "A lot of things have been agreed to in principle." Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela, 67, known as "the Chess Player," and Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela, 62, known as "El Senor" have been held in the maximum security wing of Miami's Federal Detention Center since their extradition to the United States in 2004 on drug conspiracy charges. The deal would cap a massive government investigation into the Cali cartel -- a family-run drug-trafficking syndicate that once supplied 80 percent of the world's cocaine. According to a half-dozen individuals close to the case: The agreement would grant immunity from prosecution to six of the men's grown children in Colombia and prevent the U.S. government in some circumstances from seizing family members' homes and other financial assets. The Treasury Department would remove 28 relatives from a list of suspected drug traffickers subject to economic sanctions. The negotiations involved months of discussions with the U.S. Treasury and Justice departments, federal prosecutors in Miami and New York, and Colombian authorities, the individuals said. According to a senior law enforcement official, the relatives given immunity in the deal were under investigation for possible obstruction of justice, not drug trafficking. U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno is expected to hold a change of plea hearing Sept. 26. Miami attorney Mark Schnapp, former chief of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney's Office, said the case shows international drug dealers are not beyond the reach of U.S. law. "Any time prosecutors can reach out and bring to justice leaders of a foreign drug organization it's a huge accomplishment," he said. Colombian authorities arrested Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela in Cali in 1995. Both were serving sentences in a Bogota prison when a federal grand jury in Miami indicted them in 2003. The U.S. indictment alleged conspiracies to import and distribute cocaine, launder money and obstruct justice through bribes and murder. Federal authorities said the cartel found creative ways to bring cocaine into the United States, including hiding the drugs in concrete posts, frozen vegetables, lumber, ceramic tile, coffee, and chlorine cylinders. According to prosecutors, Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela continued to run the family business from prison, turning over day-to- day operations to Miguel's eldest son, William Rodriguez-Abadia. The case took a turn in March, when Rodriguez-Abadia, 40, pleaded guilty and agreed to testify for the government against his father and uncle. As part of his plea deal, the government agreed to give Rodriguez-Abadia's wife, mother-in-law, and two children residency in the United States. - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine