18 lines
No EOL
2.1 KiB
Markdown
18 lines
No EOL
2.1 KiB
Markdown
[[Colombia]] is a country in [[South America]] that has been significantly impacted by drug trafficking, particularly through the operations of the [[Cali Drug Cartel]]. The country's political landscape has also been influenced by these illicit activities.[^1]
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### Drug Trafficking and Political Influence
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The [[Cali Drug Cartel]], led by figures like [[Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela|Gilberto Rodriguez]] and [[Jose Santacruz Londono|Jose Londono]], controlled a vast portion of the world's cocaine trade. The cartel's influence extended to the highest levels of Colombian government, with allegations that the newly elected president, [[Ernesto Samper Pizano]], accepted $3.7 million in campaign funds from [[Gilberto Rodriguez]], effectively aligning him with the drug lords.[^1]
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[[Michael Abbell]], a former [[United States Department of Justice|U.S. Department of Justice]] official, was indicted for laundering money for the [[Cali Drug Cartel]]. Surveillance reports indicated his frequent visits to [[Gilberto Rodriguez]]'s home in Bogota, [[Colombia]]. The law firm of Kaplan, Russin and Becchi, where Abbell worked after leaving the [[United States Department of Justice|DOJ]], had offices in Bogota.[^1]
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[[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed that [[Robert Booth Nichols]] paid Abbell to "crowbar" the extradition of Cali Cartel leaders, as they were considered "intelligence people." This suggests a complex interplay between drug trafficking, intelligence operations, and political influence within [[Colombia]].[^1]
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### Financial Operations
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[[Michael Riconosciuto]] also mentioned the "[[Workers Bank]]" in [[Colombia]] in the context of money laundering operations for the [[Wackenhut Corporation|Wackenhut]] people. He claimed to have set up "virtual dead-drops" for this bank, a method to circumvent ACH reconciliations on a daily basis, indicating sophisticated financial illicit activities originating from or passing through [[Colombia]].[^1]
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## Footnotes
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[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010. |