He tried again to signal U.S. authorities. 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. It was a very bad idea, but they sent me anyway. But suddenly police surrounded them. All six of them. He was removed from his post in the reserve. The Cali brothers earlier had dispatched an unsuccessful hit squad to Medellin, 155 miles northwest of the capital. He became a new king, and my position was: He's the worst enemy I have. Salcedo said he takes . Jorge Salcedo, who pleaded guilty to accepting $200,000 in bribes to fraudulently admit students to UCLA, will serve eight months in prison after receiving a sentence from a federal judge Friday.. They were having a meeting, and they were excluding me of everything. The MCUs tiniest heroes are kicking off its biggest phase yet, setting up the next several years of storytelling. But whatever it was, I got the picture. 2023 Oscars predictions: See who will win at the 95th Academy Awards. No Career Information Occupation Sicario Affiliation Cali cartel Medelln cartel (spy) Years active 1980s-1995 Appearances First Explosivos (Narcos) At the same time, rival cocaine cartels were warring with one another, killing scores of police, judges, politicians and innocent bystanders. For years he had protected the bosses, their wives and children. 1 to be killed, Ryan said. The drug bosses there, engaged in a feud with drug lord Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel, summoned the 41-year-old engineer in 1989. All Rights Reserved. 1 to be killed, Ryan said. This time it was near a sugar cane plantation.. He also knew who was marked for assassination. A federal judge in Boston on Friday sentenced former UCLA soccer coach Jorge Salcedo to eight months in prison followed by a year of supervised release for taking $200,000 in bribes to help secure the admission of two students as part of the nationwide scheme prosecutors dubbed "Varsity Blues." Colombians susceptible to extradition. It was a cross-examination of everything. And I witnessed many, many millions more. He can also be found on staff at Seton Family of Doctors at Williamson. Its secret chamber gave up a trove of records that delighted Serrano -- 30,000 checks, cartel payments to police, 150 politicians, reporters, everyone, Salcedo said. 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. Jorge Salcedo, the former UCLA men's soccer coach charged in the college admissions scandal, accused the school of using athlete admissions "as a vehicle to raise funds" in a motion filed by his. After top campaign aides acknowledged receiving cartel funds, Samper insisted that if such contributions were made, it was without his knowledge. While the scheme was initially designed to be a surprise, bureaucracy led to a prolonged siege of the apartment which ended without an arrest. "I got a call from Miguel, and he said, 'You have to be get me out of this . Or was it a test, to see how brave you are or how you're going to deal with this? Salcedo was ordered to arrange an aerial bomb attack on Escobars wing of the prison. Last edited on 3 September 2022, at 05:41, Learn how and when to remove this template message, United States Federal Witness Protection Program, United States Army Command and General Staff College, "Revelan identidad del hombre que compr las bombas MK-82", "The real Jorge Salcedo talks about what the show gets right", "A daring betrayal helped wipe out Cali cocaine cartel", "Defense lawyer pleads guilty to aiding cartel", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jorge_Salcedo_Cabrera&oldid=1108223474, This page was last edited on 3 September 2022, at 05:41. The Orejuela brothers promptly absorbed the Medellin cartel and ultimately controlled 80 percent of the international cocaine market. In 1994, Salcedo was sent with the cartels chief enforcer to a farmhouse outside Cali. After Pablo was dead, I said, "I'm going. 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. But behind the bloodless fall of the ruthless Orejuela brothers and collapse of their $7-billion-a-year empire lies a little-known story of daring and betrayal. Years passed between some of his calls. Then, said U.S. prosecutor Ryan, the bodies began to show up.. The early 1990s were the golden years for the cartel. They did that the same. I will say, though it's horrendous, it's not far from the [actual] happenings. He took the police aside and pulled out 500 pesos. Federal drug agents would have to prove that the cartel leaders continued to operate their smuggling empire from prison, after the extradition ban was lifted. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, Jorge Salcedo admitted to receiving $200,000 in bribes to facilitate the admission of two students to the University of California at Los Angeles, Former UCLA Soccer Coach Sentenced in College Admissions Case, https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-t, Oxford Man Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government Funds and Misuse of a Social Security Number, Worcester Postal Supervisor Sentenced for Mail Theft, Florida Man Sentenced for Making Threatening Communications, Former UCLA Soccer Coach Sentenced In College Admissions Case. The attack was abandoned. The risk was so incredible, Agent Kacerosky said in testimony. That was attempt number one [to arrest Miguel]. Jorge Salcedo, el Hombre que Entreg a Miguel Rodrguez Orejuela narcos famosos 284K subscribers Subscribe 395K views 5 years ago Jorge Salcedo fue el jefe de seguridad de Miguel Rodrguez. It was not an invitation I could refuse, he said. William Rodrguez Orejuela, Miguel's son, suspected Salcedo to be the leak, and reassigned Jorge's responsibilities. Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli, are among those jailed in the scandal. THE compound of Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela filled a city block. 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. Waiting at a rural airstrip for the cargo plane from Cali to pick up the illicit munitions, Salcedo saw an executive jet swoop out of the clouds. He is still No. 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 worked for Cali drug cartel in Colombia as security for a godfather Salcedo paid off police, military, politicians, justices, prosecutors with millions in drug money One military. There's a scene where the Americans are coming to arrest Miguel in his home. Was this a "welcome to the club" situation? You may be skeptical when I tell you, but no true Colombian could have watched that spectacle of democracy for sale without suffering some heartache. Jorge Salcedo has big brass balls. That was the other thing. Shipments of dope and money were lost. So I realized I couldn't use any of those to get a job with any experience that I could showin order to eliminate all sources of being found. Do you have an example of something that might have been embellished? 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.. Under threat of arrest, the U.S. agents and Serranos team abandoned their search for Miguel Orejuela. 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. 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. Cartel bosses launched an internal bloodbath targeting other extraditables. Business improved noticeably after December 1993. No sign of Miguel, the agents told him. Miguel was getting paranoid, Salcedo said. For a long time, I was thinking that it was the DEA who killed him. For years he had protected the bosses, their wives and children. That day I didn't do that. And they had all read the book, but I was interested that they knew me personally. Within a few months, about 130 people were indicted. The Cali dons knew Salcedo had ties to mercenaries. Finally, threatened with arrest, the brothers fled their palatial homes. Lock Varela en 2013. And at that time, there were other things going onthey were reorganizing narco-trafficking and all that. But more than a decade after betraying his bosses, Salcedos life remains in jeopardy. Ryan, the federal prosecutor, in a recent interview called Salcedo one of the countrys least-known heroes, one of the people most responsible for bringing down the most powerful criminals in the world., Ryan still marvels at Salcedos contribution, saying he and federal agents thought at the time that the effort had no more than a 1% chance to succeed., He recalled: You cant imagine just how alone this guy was -- talking on phones that he knew were bugged knowing so well how easily he could be compromised. So I thought, why don't I use my knowledge for more. [3][pageneeded], In July 1995, Salcedo met with Feistl and Mitchell to devise a plan to capture Miguel Rodrguez Orejuela. I wanted to be questioned. I spent more than six years in the biggest, richest syndicate in the history of crime the Cali cartel. 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. I had nothing to do with drugs. Who contacted you? They noted the physical damage -- broken desk and holes in the walls -- and found that the search team lacked a proper warrant. [Escobar] was bad, killing soldiers and civilians. So we always arranged our meetings in the woods. He was relocated to the U.S. along with his wife and children in 1995 and taken into the federal witness protection program. The early 1990s were, he said, the golden years for the cartel. I did not feel I was a criminal, Salcedo recalled. Within a week, Salcedo faced his first life-threatening decision. The Colombian television series En la boca del lobo focuses on the years Salcedo worked for the Cali Cartel. Threatened with arrest, the billionaire brothers fled their palatial homes and managed the syndicate while moving from one safe house to another. Smuggling routes from Florida to Texas were compromised and had to be replaced. . 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. The extraditables were seen as security risks. [2] After the transaction was discovered by national police, Salcedo was outed as a member of the Cali Cartel. Singer, who has also pleaded guilty, recorded his phone calls with parents and coaches and is expected to be the star witness for the prosecution in any cases that go to trial. I saw one episode, the first or something, where they pull apart one bad guy with two motorcycles. He also directed the raiding party to a desk in one of the rooms. I had been fighting against the guerrillas. Because at that point, they were suspecting about me. Postal Service was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for stealing packages containing cocaine on at least eight occasions. The episode drew international attention, and another assault plan was junked. The leftover bomb was abandoned. Jorge Salcedo admitted to participating in the college admissions bribery scheme involving . Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Within days, Salcedo and Agent Kacerosky were on the phone together. 7:18 PM EST, Wed January 18, 2012. Then he got another opportunity and called his DEA contacts in Bogota. The ploy seemed to deflect suspicion. A Warner Bros. An incident also was arranged so he would inexplicably die in custody. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How much ofNarcos have you seen, especially the new season? U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler agreed, noting Salcedos service rendered to this country and actions that saved the lives of a number of people.. Was that true to life? I was buying four U.S.-made bombs 500-pounders that the bosses wanted to drop on Pablo Escobar. Miguel literally tried to wipe out all non-Colombian nationals operating in Colombia, said Ryan. One day, I came first, and he came second. They said, "No way, you have to stay." appreciated. But because I was always at the meeting, I was a witness to everything that was spoken there. Jorge Salcedo, Esq. He infiltrated the Medellin Cartel in order turn Jose Rodriguez Gacha over to the DEA, and he would take part in the war with Medellin from 1992 to 1993. And then after Pablo was dead, you tried to leave the cartel? Salcedo waited for the chance to use a public phone at a Cali telecommunications building. He and his bodyguard were gunned down as they fled. Miguel, the younger of the two Orejuela brothers, was more direct: He wanted Escobar, the most powerful criminal in the world, dead. He traveled to El Salvador and, through military contacts, purchased four 500-pound bombs for about a half-million dollars. On Thursday, he told a judge that he joined the admissions scheme, which was orchestrated by William "Rick". Former UCLA men's soccer coach Jorge Salcedo has agreed to plead guilty to accepting $200,000 in bribes in the massive "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal and is expected to be sentenced to . In 1989, he was summoned by the Carli cartel to a meeting. My father was a general. WITHIN a week of his first conversation with a U.S. agent, Salcedo faced his first life-threatening decision. In 2018, Salcedo agreed with Singer and Khosroshahin to recruit the son of another client of Singers to the UCLA mens soccer team despite the fact that the student did not play soccer competitively. [3][pageneeded] Working under the pretense of casing Pallomari for assassination, Salcedo forwarded his location to the DEA. Politicians were considered a long-term investment. Salcedo soon learned of the horrible situation.. He was secretly dispatched to Europe by military leaders to assemble a team of mercenaries. The raid operated off of documents seized from an inspection of an office owned and operated by Guillermo Pallomari, the cartel's chief accountant. As the head of security for the Cali Cartel and an eventual informant whose work nearly singlehandedly brought down the whole cartel, Salcedo (played by Matias Varela) and his story are central to the show. In Miami, DEA agents targeted the Cali cartels distribution organizations. Salcedo used it to steer Pallomari toward the DEA. 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. Salcedo barely escaped El Salvador and arrest before the botched pickup was exposed. He has done an inestimable service to the U.S. and Colombia, said his lawyer, Robert F. Dunlap of Miami. As instructed, I took those to a bank near the Cali airport and deposited one into the account of a sister and the other to the mother of a captain in the Colombian anti-narcotics task force. So there's one very tense scene in the show where you're taken to a farmhouse for what you thought would be a meeting. Well, it's been a very different life from what people usually do at this time [in their life]. JORGE SALCEDO: From what I have seen of Narcosand I haven't seen the whole thingit's a very good, dynamic production. Pablo Escobar of Medellin was a bandit a criminal a crazy guy who was threatening to kill their wives and children. Operatives were arrested. This raid was successful, and the DEA arrested Miguel. Now that Pablo was dead, not everybody wanted to make peace with Cali. By unnerving coincidence, they were looking for the killer of a taxi driver. Enter Salcedo. The drug bosses there, engaged at the time in a vicious feud with Escobar and the Medellin, summoned the 41-year-old engineer to visit. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Salcedo insisted the drug lord was there. On one occasion, we knew that Miguel had time for lunch and a shower before the raiding party was scheduled to arrive. Federal prosecutor Edward Ryan called the defection a very personal betrayal to the Cali bosses, leaving the man marked for death. Many safe houses were known to conceal vaults built into the walls for magician-like escapes. He also helped agents raid a cartel bomb-making site and a weapons storage warehouse with hundreds of machine guns.
