El Chapo Trial: Chupeta admits to 150 murders, some in the U.S. including a N.J. family

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat

Chupeta's sentence of 25 years, and 150 murders calculates to 60 days per murder

Today Chupeta took the stand to conclude his testimony which gave the defense an opportunity to challenge the witness.

Business

Yesterday, Chupeta demonstrated his business skills in his testimony, he holds a degree in economics. On Monday it was about “his business” or should we say “my business”, it’s all about speaking in first person, beginning with “my drugs”. He explained the business side of the illicit drug industry, which on the face of it is operated much like any other enterprise.  He testified about transporting cocaine, which is the number one hurdle.  From air to sea.  And he spoke about the coked out captain who used too much coke,  and began hallucinating, subsequently sinking the ship and 20 tons of coke.

That incident that swore him off of Mexican captains, it was from that point on only Colombian captains manning the ships.

He said he personally sent about 200 tons, 200,000 kilos of cocaine sent to The Sinaloa Cartel, and to everyone connected to the cartel. About 10 percent went to Los Angeles, and 90 percent to New York.

Chupeta began having issues with the deliveries.  Especially the deliveries to L.A. were different and not his brand.  It was inferior, powdery, broken and in a bad state. Also, to a lesser degree in NY.  His lieutenants on the ground would report this to him.

Chupeta flew to Mexico and met with Chapo, Gordo Arturo Guzman and Nacho Coronel.  Nacho he explained worked in logistics.

Chapo said the problem was the people at the border.  Those who crossed it over.  Chupeta says he knew Sinaloa Cartel was getting the product from others who have an inferior product. 

Chupeta told Chapo he was sending his own people from Colombia to be at the airstrip when the cocaine arrived and at the border when it crossed so there would be “clarity”.  He would send his people to where the cocaine was stored to inspect.  These people would assure that wherever the cocaine was it would be his cocaine there and no other, this would avoid mixed product.

Chapo and the others agree to these new terms.  He testified to business ledgers and practices.  For example he would manipulate a high demand in New York by limiting the supply and driving the price high.   

He was very much a micro-manager, a stickler for perfection and very, very proud of his operation and his cocaine.

Murder and violence

In cross examination it was the defenses turn to put emphasis on the violent side of Chupeta.

Purpura asked about Chupeta making payments for the taking of a human life.  Although the U.S. government itself, in the past had accused Chupeta of at least 300 murders, Chupeta's ledgers reflected his paying for 150 murders.  Chupeta admits not being able to remembering them all.  Saying he hadn’t counted them.

Chupeta was as organized about his executions as he was with the business side to his operation. He would keep meticulous expense records for his executions, complete with ledger entries noting payments to sicarios.

One of the entries noted a payment of 338,776 for payment to a sicario group to kill an associate’s brother.  He was asked why it was such a high amount of payment, he simply said because it was a group of sicarios.

He told of paying 45k for a three person kill, although he couldn’t remember their names.

Purpura asked about the death of Lauriano Renteria, one of Chupeta’s closest and top lieutenants, who died after he was arrested in Colombia.  He was poisoned before he could be extradited.  

"With his death died many secrets about your organization, is that correct?" Purpura asked.

"He died," Chupeta acknowledged, "and he had a lot of knowledge of my organization."

Other murders

The defense went through other executions ordered by Chupeta. “ Tocayo” was killed in 2002 for being an informant. He and a dozen of his men were lured to their death in Colombia.

Two female Colombian prosecutors were executed in Cali Colombia, after initiating an investigation into Chupeta's group, the Norte del Valle Cartel.

An attorney was killed in a Cali bookstore for being drunk and discussing the cartel’s business.

A man was killed for stealing $2 million from Chupeta. Chupeta ordered his sicarios to make the man feel comfortable then give him a coup de grâce.

Chupeta says he once worked under sicario Ivan Urdinola, whose favorite weapon was a chainsaw.

Murders in the U.S.

During cross Chupeta acknowledged he ordered multiple murders in the U.S., including a New Jersey family, because a member of the family he suspected of being an informant.

The witness says he ordered the murder in 1993 in Queens of Vladimir Beigelman, a reputed Russian cocaine dealer.

Chapo's attorney said  that with the Chupeta sentence of 25 years, and 150 murders he calculates to  60 days per murder.

10M Dollar Donation

Chupeta says he donated 500k to Ernesto Samper, when he was running for president of Colombia.

And he gave 10M to influence Colombian congress on the issue of changing extradition laws.

Chupeta gave a new meaning to living narco large.  When Brasil authorities arrested him in a luxury community in the burbs of São Paulo, they confiscated 120M, an extensive art collection including pieces by Fernando Boteros, [500k each] and a collection of  20 luxury watches valued at over a million U.S. and a yacht.

The most expensive piece was a gold Audemars Piguet, having a starting bid of 219k when the watches were auctions off in 2012.  [see image of his watch above advertised for auction].  This was in Brasil, however in Cali Colombia the seizure was much larger.  In luxury items and cash.

Judge Surprises

Also something unexpected happened with the jury was out of the room on break.  Judge Brian Cogan said he didn't believe that all the testimony that was just offered by Chupeta, about murders he had committed “was relevant”.

Chapo's attorneys were stunned.  What happened to the bad acts they were most likely wondering?  There was a sidebar.  I don’t know yet what became of that, but promise to find out.

As promised; Purpura offered an effective argument as to why it was important to showcase multiple murders that Chupeta is responsible for, and why it should not be limited reader this portion of the sidebar transcript, click on image to enlarge.

Put a fork in it…Chupetas testimony is complete.

Next two witnesses were DEA agents, who testified about two large Brooklyn, New York, cocaine busts. 

During this part of the testimony there were boxes of cocaine bricks inside.  When the agents handled the bricks they used gloves for obvious reasons.  But then defense attorney Eduardo Balarezo stuck his hand in the box and retrieved one of the cocaine bricks, prosecutors quickly asked that he use gloves, to which he replied, “I need a pick up right about now.”

On deck is cooperative witness Colombian German Rosero.  Rosero was the liaison between the Norte del Valle Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel.

Rosero knew Chupeta since they were in college.  There was a threat on his life.  He was working as a public defender at the time.  He asked Chupeta for protection.  Chupeta then put the squeeze on Rosero to provide assistance. Initially the help as small stuff like real estate transactional documentation.   But soon Rosero was deep in the bucket of narco shit. 

In 1996 when Chupeta turned himself in to authorities, it was Rosero who bribes the warden for special food and visiting privileges.

It was Rosero who in 1997 paid 10 M to congressmen debating to change the extradition law. The big issue with narcos was to stop the law from being retroactive where people like Chupeta already incarcerated would be extradited to the United States.

The law did pass, but it was not retroactive.

Rosero moved to Acapulco becoming Chupetas man in Mexico.  He was the marketing person, who contacted, Chapo, BLO brothers, Mayo and Nacho Coronel, cutting deals with same.

Rosales retired in 2001 becoming a dairy farmer.  But he was soon ‘encourages’ to return to the Mexican narco marketing job. [See Rosero at left]

He will be back on the stand on Wednesday.  

The witness wore a dark down parka and dark gloves during his testimony.

All these executions and this is the sentence: 25 years.  With good time and time served...Chupeta got a very sweet deal indeed.