El Chapo Trial: Rosero turned himself in to U.S. authorities....but he wasn't wanted...till then

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat

 Jury is a bit bored
The trial seems to be dragging with having the same type of evidence being given repeatedly. 

I think it is a mistake by the prosecution, you can’t present these tedious explanations of transport and ledgers and who knows who and who kills who and who is at war with whom, over and over without it becoming confusing and mind-numbing.  The result may be a jury will  tune out and then began nodding off.

Judge Cogan has had to scold he jury for doing just that.  No good.  Less is best. 

Yesterday I reported about Cogan being concerned with respect to all the murder details in the cross examination of Chupeta.  Cogan thought it was too much and too many ‘bad acts’.

Defense attorney Purpura offered a good and reasonable explanation

"Murder is an infamous act and infamous acts go right to the heart of someone’s credibility. You can’t just gloss over it by saying its 150.  There is nothing greater [than] to show the character of an individual than the effect that they are willing to order the execution of all these people.”

Purpura told the court he planned on the cross examination to be about 10 murders and not 150.  But he further explained that he planned to use an image of 150 persons.  Not the actual victims just a representation of 150 persons off of google.  The government  attorney, Ms Goldbarg,  objected to its use as being “overly prejudicial”. 

Judge says he didn’t have a problem with the image, but wishes to see it before it is presented as an exhibit.

Bad Cocaine Shipment

Today German Rosero aka Barbas  is continuing his testimony. He spoke about bad cocaine, a 2002 meeting with Chapo in the sierras and the transfer of money from Mexico to Colombia.

His first meeting with Chapo was at his home in the mountains, near Culiacan.  He described a “country home with palapas, which was not luxurious”.   It sounds like the home where a video was made of Chapo under one of those palapas. [at left]

The problem was due to a 600 kilo shipment of inferior quality cocaine .  The lesser quality was due to a lack of an extra oxidization step necessary for the best quality cocaine.

Rosero said they were able to work out a deal giving Chapo a 500 dollar discount per kilo on the inferior cocaine.

Damaso Lopez Nuñez, aka “Lic” or “El Licenciado arranged the next meeting in 2003.

Sending the money to Colombia

Rosero testified to the method Chapo used to transport money to Colombia. 

Rosero says that Chapo owned a plane made of carbon fiber, which made it undetectable by radar.  That is what was used to transfer the money.

Rosero said large bills were sent, first sending 500K to 1M, and subsequently the limit was raised to 5M.

Rosero regarding the money traffickers, “We had control over these people. We knew where they lived, and it was them who were responsible if something was lost."

In all Rosero says he met with Chapo 6 to 8 times. He was usually flown to ranches in the sierras, in raggedy looking, ageing Cessnas, and landing on clandestine airstrips.  Those makeshift landing strips with precarious short and steep runways found in the Mexican sierras.

Losing a shipment

Rosero explained how once a load of 12,500 kilos was seized by the US Coast Guard. Rosero went to visit Chapo at one of his ranches to give him the bad news.  Chapo remained calm and pragmatic;  “He told me we had to keep going," Rosero recollected. "We had to keep working."

Respect and the War

The witness testified that Chapo always was respectful towards him, and even asked to become a godfather to one of Rosero’s children.  Rosero said Chapo treated him well and “ it was an honor to have him as a godfather."

He said as time went by Chapo withdrew deeper into the Sierras. And that Chapo was surrounded by more men, who dressed in camo fatigues, something Chapo would do also at times.

In 2007, During the time the conflict between Chapo and BLO, Rosero and his Colombian bosses were on the run.  He did not want to be in the middle of the war, so he quit.

"I didn't want to be in the middle of a war."

Going into a conflict was not a part of what he did, he was the business guy, not a narco warrior, He went into hiding for two years.

Thinking he was under indictment, after two years he traveled to Miami and he surrendered to the DEA, but there were no charges against him.  Subsequently the U.S. charged him after the fact and he has been a cooperative witness since then.

The defense on cross brought targeted Rosero’s financial assets, much of what was not seized.  After “turning himself in…” he was able to retain ownership of vehicles, multiple valuable properties in Mexico and Colombia.

He has yet to serve a single day in an American jail.