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COPYRIGHT 2004 South Florida Sun-Sentinal
Byline: Ann W. O'Neill and Sandra Hernandez
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ In a few days, Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, known as "The Chess Player" for his shrewdness in building Colombia's Cali cartel into the world's dominant cocaine supplier, will step off a Drug Enforcement Administration plane in Miami to face U.S. justice.
Younger brother Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela, known as "El Senor," is likely to follow soon.
So will begin one of the biggest drug and money-laundering cases ever prosecuted in Miami's federal courts.
It is an ironic turn for the brothers, who never thought they'd set foot inside a U.S. courtroom. As insurance, they allegedly financed a successful 1994 presidential campaign to keep cartel-friendly faces running Colombia's government. In the end, their efforts to avoid extradition helped make it happen.
Federal law enforcement officials consider the brothers their biggest trophy in the war on drugs since Medellin cartel leader Pablo Escobar was gunned down by Colombian police in 1993.
But some experts say the extradition is more of a moral victory than a practical one. "They don't get any bigger than this, but it is largely symbolic," said Adam Isacson, director of programs for the Center for International Policy in Washington. "Gilberto is no longer a player."
Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela face an indictment that alleges four conspiracies _ to import and distribute cocaine, launder...
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