Ildefonso Ortiz | The Monitor
McALLEN — A former commander with the Tamaulipas State Police and ranking member of the Gulf Cartel is to spend close to 12 1/2 years in prison.
Thursday morning, Gilberto Lerma Plata went before U.S District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, D.C., where she handed down the sentence and ordered Lerma to forfeit a whopping $10 billion in drug proceeds as part of a money judgment against him and the Gulf Cartel, a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice shows.
GULF CARTEL
The money judgment was based on the prosecution’s assertion that during the time that Lerma was active in the Gulf Cartel, the organization distributed more than 1.4 million kilograms or cocaine and more than 8,000 metric tons of marijuana. The money judgment represents the gross receipts of the Gulf Cartel’s drug sales into the U.S. from its distribution centers along the U.S.-Mexico Border, records show.The Gulf Cartel is a crime syndicate based in northern Tamaulipas that is involved in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human smuggling, contract killing, kidnapping, extortion and other criminal activities.
A grand jury handed up a sealed indictment against Lerma on July 29, 2011, accusing him of drug conspiracy charges and drug smuggling for his role as a leader in the drug trafficking organization. Federal agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Lerma in McAllen on April 6, 2012, and he pleaded guilty March 1, 2013, to the conspiracy charges and the importation of several tons of drugs into the country.
GOOD COP GONE BAD
Lerma also aided the organization by procuring firearms for its foot soldiers, who regularly engage in firefights with rival organizations along the Mexican border. Recorded conversations between Lerma and other Gulf Cartel bosses point to not only the smuggling of drugs, but also the obtaining of AK-47 and AR-15 rifles for the crime syndicate. POLITICAL TIES
In 2012, the U.S. Attorney’s Office seized a luxury condominium on South Padre Island belonging to Yarrington as well as two homes bought by him for his mistress using the proceeds of illegal activities, court records show. According to the civil complaint filed in the seizure, the properties were bought with money from the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas.
iortiz@themonitor.com
Sources: Monitor, Menytimes
Good cop Gone bad!! There is no such thing as a good cop in Mexico..
ReplyDeleteIs that why you came to the US? Were you a cop in México?
Delete6:38 are YOU defending Mexican cops,or are you accusing Mexican immigrants?we would be better off knowing where YOU stand,and why,ask me why...
DeleteThey r not bad guys, just got caught. Manuel lerma is a real crook, but its ok.
ReplyDeleteWe accept that
the cartels control the country the elected officals and law enforcement work for them. I won't be going back, I like my head, arms and hands.
ReplyDeleteImagine living in a country where assholes like this animal represent the "law". Top it off with not being able to defend yourself or your family because only knuckle dragging neanderthals like these can have a gun.
ReplyDeleteThe title on this guys picture is wrong,"good cop gone bad"..I seriously doubt this guys ever been good,just like the majority of cops and politicals in Mexico.And that goes for the majority of Hispanic politics in the US.That's why I myself WILL NOT vote for Hispanics,and I'm a hispanic myself.I know the white politicians are also corrupt,but the difference is that a white political won't let you starve to death like the hispanics...the white guy will steal the money but leave some for the poor,but the hispanic will take all of it and not leave anything for the beady.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest of the white therabillionaire rich white guys are getting everybody killed,without malice,have that present,no ill feelings,it is all business,all about business.
DeleteMexican police are just trying to make a little money on the side,and since they don't know speaki,they come to the waitin'arms of the us welcome committee, but in good faith,for 12 years, out in 8,he talked,and talked and talked...
You can always vote for Obama and get free health care.
DeleteObama is getting paid by the Republicans for trying to build consensus,bipartisan bipartidism,and for playing in their end of the court,with their ball when he was spossed to be just the water boy,they would not be happy having to let him be the house bigger who did as told,he is required to be the whippin'boy when the shit hits the fan...Obama never expected his ACA computers to get so fucked up so mysteriously,it may take a few geniuses, but the avatars that fucked it all up will come up some day,there are hacker geniuses everywhere,meanwhile the iran-contras enjoy their pirrhic victories,Obama will have to relax and enjoy,and the American people will continue getting screwed by the patrician American popoliticians...
DeleteWhy do cartel bosses get such light sentences? Is it because they can't prove most of their crimes? Or is it a corruption thing?
ReplyDeleteI like how Rosalio Reta got 76 years and this guy gets 12.
ReplyDeleteWell this guy got convicted of money laundering, and Rosalio Reta of capital murder. That's why. Rosalio Reta was lucky he didn't get the death penalty.
DeleteBecause of rosalio reta's fear of z40,he ended in prison,for talking,no death sentence,for witnessing against z40 he may get a monthly check,witness protection,and a very early release,z40 gets life in prison or hopefully the death penalty,not so much for his crimes,but for fucking around with Texas!!!!
DeleteFBI,ATF,DEA , Cartel members???? or is it just a mexican thing??? Just saying.
Delete12.5 years to hone and fine tune his skills in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteAnd who should he make the check out to?
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is, by cartel boss standards, this is a pretty long sentence.
ReplyDeleteThat seems too light and that was Washington? Anyone care to guess why- for those who aren't challenged by law and lawyers. He'll be parolled in 3 mos. after they subtract time off for good behavior, time already served etc. okay maybe my math is off but still too light!
ReplyDeleteYou got a $10 billion judgment. Good. Now, go find the money.
ReplyDeleteThis well connected thug should pay bigger than that for Christ's sake!
ReplyDeleteThats F'ing retarded. They think he can come up with 10billion, from his couch cushions? If he did have 10 billion, 5 billion went to bribes so he could get the money in the first place. Good ol' Merica! SMH.
ReplyDeleteYup definitely guilty. If your fat and out of shape you are definitely a drug capo
ReplyDeleteHeyyyy chivis the policia comunitaria en michoacan got into apatzingan michoacan a stronghold of cts . Cts shot at them and shot granades too at them 3 people got injured one is in surious condition there are federal police and the army fightting the cts right now but the comunity police men are without arms so the can not defend themselves bur there are around 4000 comunity police men there willing to fight the cts right now
ReplyDeleteThis is what I call a rather paltry little sentence. I guess what he did is not really so bad after all and we are just making a big deal out of infiltration of official offices etc. It happens all the time in Mexico and barely anything or nothing happens when they get caught. We are just one big happy continent here.
ReplyDeletehis lawyer sucks ! any good lawyer would have got that fine down to five billion
ReplyDelete@10:46- Miedoso...
ReplyDeleteSince the same drugs crossing Mexico go through the US (where it is ultimately sold) the US law eforcement must be just as corrupt as the mexican ... or are the US cops just dumb, lazy, poorly trained and equipped or all of the above???
ReplyDeleteI have never been able understand that side of the equation and it seems as if there something missing here which is being hushed up.
These r all good men, just a little greedy
ReplyDeleteThese guys r building wealth for their family and friends .
ReplyDeleteAt the expense and lives of innocent people because of their greed. Who needs 10 billion dollars to take care of their family and friends. No excuse!
DeleteEl chapo has only one billion,this guy must be really sompin',now with the devaluations el chapo only has like one hundred pesos for one cup of maruchan...
DeleteWhy only 12 yrs?
ReplyDelete@ 7:57PM
ReplyDeleteI know!!! Wow..I saw the video and am making a post. This is an important event that the defense would ban together and go after CT's strong hold.
I am trying to get someone to help me with a translation overview of the video. I am still trying to take it easy....Thanks for the message!
The guy is pond scum and greedy
ReplyDeleteNot! Never as greedy as his uncle the former governor and now federal senator
DeleteMANUEL CAVAZOS LERMA
the dogfather of all the corruption in the state of tamaulipas,he survived everybody!
Ain't that a bitch?luckily his nephew talked,
nobody gets that time of 12.5 years,out in 8
for nothing,you can see in his eyes,he is the devil personified,only an old man like that would wipe his ass with all the cartels in his state like that...AMAZING!
Manuel cavazos lerma,the old coot survived everybody!
DeleteThere are a lot of old popoliticians in Mexico,with ties to all kinds of crimes,still at the udder of the old bitch,,the republica Mexicana,the most evil of the worst, surviving the most dedicated of the evil
rosalio reta talked,too,maybe his testimony will fuck z40(la tetanic) and upon z40's death,reta may qualify for parole...as for the police officer gone bad,that is him,his bosses and his colleagues in the police force...
ReplyDeleteThis individual is not mexican, he was born and raised in Brownsville. We grew up in the same neighborhood and attended the sames schools. Grew up in la Parra and surrived multiple attempts on his life by other gang bangers in town in the 80s.
ReplyDeleteThis article is full of shit... 1.4 million Kilos of cocaine ... you have to be kidding me.. there is NO way this imbecil was pushing that kind of weight... Better yet there is no way the entire cdg ever pushed that kind of weight and then succumb to be on of the shittiest cartels in mexico... I call bullshit.
ReplyDelete