Years passed between some of his calls. 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. He was relocated to the U.S. along with his wife and children in 1995 and taken into the federal witness protection program. He was arrested without incident in his underwear, scurrying for a vault in the wall. He used to be Jorge Salcedo. We found a house, and my children were small, so I was taking care of school and friends and everything. Everyone was going to jail and Miguel said the best thing was to put William in charge of everything. Singer and Khosroshahin previously pleaded guilty in connection with their roles in the offense. I had to watch him strangle them, Salcedo said. My logic is fantastic: How could you think that I would be going to the streets? But maybe my experience will help show the importance of fighting corruption as a way to fight the cartels. [3][pageneeded], In 1995, Gilberto Rodrguez Orejuela was captured by a joint task-force in Cali. I came here to protect you and your family, but I left my business behind, so I'm done." 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 told them [Cali], with these guys, you better give up. 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. 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. Meanwhile, U.S. pressure on the Bogot government was forcing Colombian authorities to crack down on the violent cartels. 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.. 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. Dr. Jorge Salcedo, MD is a Family Medicine Specialist in Cedar Park, TX. He stayed close to Miguel and his family, sharing car rides and meeting with them alone to let his vulnerability erode suspicions. I was hiding for a long time. Later he ran an oil recovery business. As Colombian citizens, the Orejuela brothers could not be extradited to the United States. So they told [my friend] Mario, "We need you." 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.. All Rights Reserved. The bosses handed out $20,000 checks like hospitality gifts. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. A lock ( And what do you think? And the [Colombian] army was very impressed as well, so I received training and helped the military as well. Fortunately, I had the means to start a company. 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. It was a bonus for the captains help getting the boss away from a police raid. A locked padlock The enforcer insisted that Salcedo accompany him. 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. There are one or two incidents that I may have known about or was around when it happened, but it wasn't always me who was executing all those things. Why are we still having these debates? Though wary of cartel and Colombian government wiretaps, Kacerosky landed one of the most remarkable confidential informants in all of international crime. Jorge Salcedo, 47, admitted to participating in the college admissions bribery scheme involving TV celebrities, other wealthy parents and elite universities across the country. Meanwhile, Salcedo beefed up security for the Orejuela brothers and their extended families -- a mother, four sisters, in-laws, wives and children. COVID origins? The entire cartel brain trust would go to jail in exchange for a limited five-year sentence to be served at a prison built, or substantially remodeled, at cartel expense. The extraditables came to be seen as security risks. 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. Though that law was repealed after the politicians behind it were exposed for taking bribes from the cartels, the brothers remained in Bogotas La Picota prison, beyond the reach of U.S. authorities. I get there, and the cars arrive there, and all of a sudden these people were just taken by force by people who work at Pacho Herrera's farmwell, it was a luxury ranch, not a farm. He told me, "You get there first just to make sure the road is clear is safe for me." One well-placed insider was the sergeant and chief of staff to the military commander of the anti-narcotics task force. Smuggling routes from Florida to Texas were compromised. [3][pageneeded] In the aftermath, Salcedo was demoted. His father was a retired Colombian army general and respected diplomatic figure. He traveled to El Salvador and, through military contacts, purchased four 500-pound bombs for about a half-million dollars. Miguel, the younger of the two Orejuela brothers, was even more direct: He wanted Escobar dead. Salcedo was ordered to arrange an aerial bomb attack on Escobars wing of the prison. Accompanied by two U.S. agents, the 15-man team of Colombian national police poured silently into the building. Miguel heard them too late. Whereas his previous role involved avoiding detection from Escobar's network, Salcedo now assisted Cali's men with avoiding detection by the National Police of Colombia. Both the sergeant and the captain were among hundreds of police and military officers fired for corruption. Salcedo was escorted to Miguels offices and four cartel dons. The raid operated off of documents seized from an inspection of an office owned and operated by Guillermo Pallomari, the cartel's chief accountant. But suddenly police surrounded them. It was not an invitation I could refuse," he said. [3][pageneeded] He joined the Army Reserve division in Cali. Something very close happened to that. I said, Guillermo, Ive been taking care of you a lot. . Salcedo and his U.S. handlers arranged to meet in a rural area outside Cali. Local authorities closed in. He started his career designing forklifts and other machinery. I always got to appointments first, to check the security around and make sure there wasn't an ambush or anything. says the actress. I was told we were going to meet Miguel [Rodriguez, one of the four Kings of Cali] at a farm whose code was "The Desert." He said, "Well, I know someone who's good. WITHIN a week of his first conversation with a U.S. agent, Salcedo faced his first life-threatening decision. 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. He also helped agents raid a cartel bomb-making site and a weapons storage warehouse with hundreds of machine guns. THE Orejuela brothers saw that U.S. pressure on the Bogota government was forcing Colombian authorities to crack down on the cartels. Meanwhile, he beefed up security for the Orejuela brothers and their families. No. How did you get involved with this project? The mostly British mercenaries were in hotels for nearly two months awaiting orders to attack. After Pablo was dead, I said, "I'm going. Narcos recap: You Will Cry Tears of Blood. 7:18 PM EST, Wed January 18, 2012. Boston Office: And my wife, in my country she was a lawyer, but she lost all her credentials as such. Many safe houses were known to conceal vaults built into the walls for magician-like escapes. Let it pass.". Join CNN Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on Twitter, The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jorge Salcedo. Miguel was getting paranoid, Salcedo said. Miguel Orejuela was extradited to Florida in 2005, a year after Gilberto. No. The Colombian television series En la boca del lobo focuses on the years Salcedo worked for the Cali Cartel. It was difficult to keep these wild people quiet, he said. Anti-government guerrilla groups unleashed waves of kidnappings that terrorized the nation. In reality, I never killed him. His information on the cartelOperation Cornerstoneled to its eventual disbandment, as a result of which Salcedo and his family have entered the United States Federal Witness Protection Program. El hijo de Miguel Rodrguez Orejuela lo buscaba desesperado para matarlo. Postal Service was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for stealing packages containing cocaine on at least eight occasions. He was arrested as he scurried for a vault in the wall. But more than a decade after betraying his bosses, Salcedos life remains in jeopardy. Police were guided to his hide-out by radiophone signals. Jorge "El Navegante" Velasquez (?-1995) was an associate of the Cali Cartel who worked as one of their sicarios. In the wrong hands, his records of bribes and business dealings posed a greater threat to cartel operations than confinement in a Colombian jail. He saw traitors everywhere.. I told them it was unlikely to succeed. 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. Salcedos story is told in the book, At the Devils Table The Untold Story of the Insider Who Brought Down the Cali Cartel, by journalist William C. Rempel. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS And not just the cartel, but the entire corrupt government and the system. In December '88, my friend retired from the army abruptly. After the failed raid Salcedo continued monitoring the communications of national police and rival cartel. Jorge Salcedo, whose story is the basis for Narcos season 3 "Because at that point, they were suspecting about me. He became a new king, and my position was: He's the worst enemy I have. Have a question about Government Services? Threatened with arrest, the billionaire brothers fled their palatial homes and managed the syndicate while moving from one safe house to another. This raid was successful, and the DEA arrested Miguel. 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. In addition to living quarters, it contained a large swimming pool, a tennis court and half of a soccer field. This account is based on those interviews, corroborated by court records, sworn testimony and additional interviews with federal agents involved in the case. It bought time. Welcome to the Quantum Realm. But it was not the end of the Cali cartel. The Cali Cartel informant is currently in the witness protection program. He received his medical degree from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras and has been in practice for more than 20. 1 to be killed, Ryan said. He also knew who was marked for assassination. The man has lost much of what he once took for granted: his home, his country, his name, even his past. His father was a retired Colombian army general and diplomatic figure. Salcedo barely escaped El Salvador and arrest before the botched pickup was exposed. My strategy was to avoid confrontation. I see police and judicial corruption as the biggest price of organized crime. And the other thing is that when you get into this program, you don't go to cities that are highly populated. He was killed by DEA double agent Jorge Salcedo in 1995. Now that your story is so central to a very popular TV show internationally, do you worry that it might revive interest in you? Another attempt with a car bomb succeeded only in injuring one of Escobars children. I got to know I was excluded when I got a call saying I had to get there. 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. [3][pageneeded] On August6, Salcedo and the DEA collaborated on another assault on Miguel, this time on the Hacienda Buenos Aires. Jorge Salcedo, 47, of Los Angeles, Calif., entered a guilty plea as to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering. UCLA said that Salcedo has been placed on leave pending a review and will have no involvement with the team. Finally, threatened with arrest, the brothers fled their palatial homes. 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. 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. It was a mess. Salcedo was ingenious and intelligent, evident by his experiments with biodiesel during his youth. The extraditables were seen as security risks. Salcedo realized it was more than interrogation. The U.S. DEA agents insisted on taking him into protective custody immediately. On Thursday, he told a judge that he joined the admissions scheme, which was orchestrated by William "Rick". In the years since, he has made sporadic telephone calls to a Times reporter from undisclosed locations. The ploy seemed to deflect suspicion. 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. Within a week, Salcedo faced his first life-threatening decision. [3][pageneeded] Working under the pretense of casing Pallomari for assassination, Salcedo forwarded his location to the DEA. I never wanted to be a part of that, I wanted to be outside. Jose Santacruz Londono got right to the point. But descending through a cloud bank, one of the choppers hit a mountaintop. But the British mercenaries, waiting months for orders to attack, got bored and rowdy. Luckily for us, the good people at Netflix were able to connect us to Salcedo for an exclusive interview. I had to go. 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. It was very risky, but I was trapped in a nightmare, in a totally corrupt environment. 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. And arrest before the botched pickup was exposed both the sergeant and the DEA arrested Miguel the army Reserve in. Biodiesel during his youth been taking care of you a lot two months orders. 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