Where were you? Between sources like the army sergeant, the police captain and others, my bosses and I were kept informed about dates, times and places for raids and such things as which cartel cars were being followed and what phone numbers were being tapped. With two U.S. agents, the team of Colombian national police poured silently into the building. 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. You look tired." Some targeted rich drug lords. The Colombian television series En la boca del lobo focuses on the years Salcedo worked for the Cali Cartel. Biography Jorge Salcedo was born in Cali, Colombia, and he attempted to run a bio-diesel business after leaving the Colombian Army; he served under Major Carlos Cordova, his future colleague. 2023 Cable News Network. They knew he helped plan the aborted raid on the guerrillas. Not with Harleys, they used two Land Cruisers. One of the few who knew where to find them was Salcedo. It was very risky, but I was trapped in a nightmare, in a totally corrupt environment. 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. 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. As Colombian citizens, the Orejuela brothers could not be extradited to the United States. Salcedo said he takes complete responsibility for his actions that have destroyed the life he knew. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. COVID origins? In Colombia, even honest people have to deal with the cartels.. The police demanded identity papers and prepared to search their cars. They said, "We need somebody like you to protect us." [5], Before being extradited by the DEA, Salcedo argued that Guillermo Pallomari must be extracted. But maybe my experience will help show the importance of fighting corruption as a way to fight the cartels. However, others are less sure. In the days after, the entire Cali cocaine cartel infrastructure was exposed. The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? Jorge Salcedo of Dana Point, California, 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. Salcedo scrapped the mission. But people should know what I know now. 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. 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. 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 Velsquez Biographical Information Nickname (s) Navegante (Navigator) Status Deceased Death 1995 Cali, Colombia Cause of death Shot by Jorge Salcedo Nationality Colombian Fictional? He told me, "You get there first just to make sure the road is clear is safe for me." In addition to living quarters, it contained a large swimming pool, a tennis court and half of a soccer field. We had about 150 persons dedicated to caring for the safety of these people, Salcedo recalled. No sign of Miguel, the agents told him. Two heavily armed Hughes 500 helicopters, painted in the olive green of Colombias national police, flew a 12-man team of Salcedos mercenaries to a mountain staging area. Heres a list, Rescuers comb wreckage of Greeces deadliest train crash, Ohios U.S. senators introduce bipartisan rail safety bill in wake of East Palestine derailment. The global cartel was directed by Cali-based Colombians, but its operatives included many non-Colombians susceptible to extradition. 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. Join CNN Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on Twitter, The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jorge Salcedo. Jorge Salcedo grab una entrevista con un programa de televisin en 2017 para la que viaj especialmente a un lugar no revelado de Estados Unidos. It bought time. Yes, well, William Rodriguez was his oldest son and his successor. The Isacksons have pleaded guilty, and Sui spent five months behind bars in connection with the scheme. I had to go. He tried again to signal U.S. authorities. He and his bodyguard were gunned down as they tried to flee across the rooftops. Salcedo pleaded guilty in Miami to a single count of racketeering. 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. His only possible escape was to bargain with the DEA and betray his cartel bosses. In January 2021, Salcedo agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. That was the other thing. I had to escape, the former cartel official explained. In the days that followed, the entire Cali cartel infrastructure was exposed. I know something about corruption and organized crime. He started his career designing forklifts and other machinery. 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. As Colombian citizens, the Orejuela brothers could not be extradited to the United States. The cartel had important friends in the military, too from helicopter pilots to generals. 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Calling on a secure phone line from an undisclosed location, Salcedo, now in his late 60s, spoke at length about his time with the cartel, his life since then in the federal witness protection program, and all the things the show gets rightincluding some of the most harrowing scenes. The new constitution included a no-extradition provision for native Colombians. The dons said Salcedos skills were required to end Escobars reign of terror and protect them and their families. Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Ramsey E. Covington, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Services Criminal Investigations in Boston; and Mark Deckett, Resident Agent in Charge of the Department of Education, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. If that call didn't happen, I most likely wouldn't be alive. Meanwhile, he beefed up security for the Orejuela brothers and their families. [3][pageneeded]. Some judges became overnight millionaires. An incident also was arranged so he would inexplicably die in custody. Though Pallomari did not trust Calis chief of security, the fearful accountant went along to another hide-out. Updated Salcedos military service in the late 1980s coincided with one of Colombias bloodiest periods. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. He became proficient in electronic surveillance, which drew him into counterterrorism assignments. So all of a sudden the scene became violent. The Orejuela brothers unsuccessfully tried to negotiate a voluntary surrender. The Bogot team listened, tapped on cement walls and floors, then pulled out power drills and bored into suspicious areas. All Rights Reserved. Oh yes, that was a very tense moment. The early 1990s were, he said, the golden years for the cartel. The eventual head of security had a background in civil engineering and used to work for oil refinery companies on . Was that true to life? These guys are too bad. Jorge Salcedo hoy tiene ms de 60 aos y en conversacin con Entertainment Weekly revel, desde un lugar no identificado, cmo ha sido su vida desde que dej Colombia. That people might start wondering, Where is he now? And, then, Mexican leaders need to sweep out officials at all levels who have sold their souls to organized crime. How did you know where to find me? Pallomari asked the next day. Pablo Escobar of Medellin was a bandit a criminal a crazy guy who was threatening their wives and children. It was one of those things, I think the DEA guys did that. Inside the apartment they found no one. So the family said, "No, no, no, you stay here.". The new constitution included a no-extradition provision for native Colombians. My role was to be on the outside, make sure the road was clear. 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 . I told myself I was not one of them, he said. Did those dangers include the North Valley cartel depicted in Season 3? It was very risky, but I was trapped in a nightmare, in a totally corrupt environment. THE wonkish, soft-spoken family man was an unlikely drug gang recruit. Now that your story is so central to a very popular TV show internationally, do you worry that it might revive interest in you? 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." [2] After the transaction was discovered by national police, Salcedo was outed as a member of the Cali Cartel. Salcedo waited for the chance to use a public phone at a Cali telecommunications building. Since then, the entire Cali cartel hierarchy has been extradited, thanks to Salcedo. The families were huge. Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal. It was aborted at the last minute. The attack was abandoned. 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. Postal Service was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for stealing packages containing cocaine on at least eight occasions. Im calling from Cali, Colombia, and I have important information on how to locate the heads of the cartel.. But descending through a cloud bank, one of the choppers hit a mountaintop. In 1989, he was summoned by the Carli cartel to a meeting. Id never seen so much money. He was very well known, so eventually, he was called by some friends who were connected to the cartel. They have not yet been sentenced. What did you say? I wanted to go to someone, but I didnt even know on what door to knock, he said. Salcedo did not comply with his orders and pretended to not know where Pallomari was, believing Pallomari to be his bargaining chip for his freedom. Nobody asked me, "Would you have a problem with this?" Salcedo realized it was more than interrogation. 2. 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. In 1995, some hits were Salcedos responsibility, including cartel chief accountant Guillermo Pallomari, a Chilean. He pleaded guilty Monday to accepting bribes in a nationwide college admissions scandal. To me, to anybody. 1 Courthouse Way, Suite 9200 In Miami, DEA agents targeted the Cali cartels distribution organizations. It was not an invitation I could refuse, he said. They could do this to anybody. Salcedo arrived in Cali in time for a business boom. "I got a call from Miguel, and he said, 'You have to be get me out of this . The extraditables were seen as security risks. Salcedo feigned progress toward setting up an assassination. WITHIN a week of his first conversation with a U.S. agent, Salcedo faced his first life-threatening decision. Boston, MA 02210, Boston:617-748-3100 Miguel was getting paranoid, Salcedo said. 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. And what do you think? Anti-government guerrilla groups unleashed waves of kidnappings that terrorized the nation. About that time, however, cartel-friendly police arrived at the search site. He was secretly dispatched to Europe by military leaders to assemble a team of mercenaries. He sensed doubts about his information. Salcedo said he responded: When they pressed for information, Salcedo told them: We are homosexuals. So they told [my friend] Mario, "We need you." Just hide, have many places, change routes and change communications, and create a kind of a wrong idea of where you are. There's a scene where the Americans are coming to arrest Miguel in his home. I dont know where to direct your call, the voice in Langley responded, according to Salcedo. Sold their souls to organized crime, Boston:617-748-3100 Miguel was getting paranoid, Salcedo said no-extradition for. Court in Worcester for stealing packages containing cocaine on at least eight occasions,... 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