"Morogris" for Borderland Beat
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| The two Guatelamans in Italian custody worked for fugitive Sinaloa Cartel trafficker Jose Angel Rivera Zazueta, alias El Flaco. He is one of the Sinaloa Cartel's main operators in Europe. |
Two Guatemalans imprisoned in Italy for smuggling drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel are scheduled for trial on May 18, 2021. They are accused of trafficking 385 kg (848 lbs) of cocaine into Italy.
The two defendants are Daniel Esteban Ortega Úbeda, alias Tito, and Félix Rubén Villagrán López. They will face trial for drug trafficking at a tribunal court in Catania.
Italian prosecutors were initially looking to have both of them sentenced to 21 years, but since both defendents agreed to a summary judgement (i.e. partial trial), the sentence recommendation was reduced to 14 years: eight for organized crime involvement and six for drug trafficking.
Defense attorney Ofelia Liñán Aguilera, flanked by her Italian colleague Luigi Tozzi, has asked for the acquittal for her clients, believing that during the investigation that led to their arest, police officers 'induced' the commission of the crime.
They stressed that at some point during the investigation, the defendants thought of backing down from the drug deal the police were setting up to catch them. They said that the undercover agents encouraged them to do a crime and that this diminishes their culpability.
"The agents were fully involved in this drug deal that they are partially responsible for it as well," the lawyer explained by phone.
Liñan-Aguilera, who is based in Sevilla, Spain, but was hired by the defendants for this case, said that she is optimistic about the court's resolution. The court will have to determine in the next few days if the two defendants are allowed to be moved to house arrest.
A third defendant, currently on the run, is Mexican national José Ángel Rivera Zazueta, alias El Flaco, a close operator of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael 'El Mayo Zambada. Liñan-Aguilera said that she will push for a summary judgement trial for him as well should he be arrested.
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| El Flaco arrived in Italy in 2019. Reports say he lives in Asia and may be related to one of the nephews of legendary drug kingpin Amado Carrillo Fuentes. |
Investigation
The trial is part of an investigation that tried to uncover an initiative of the Sinaloa Cartel to introduce drugs into Europe through new routes such as the Catania Fontanarossa Airport. Investigators say that the Sinaloa Cartel is working with the Calabrian mafia group 'Ndrangheta.
El Flaco is believed to be in charge of directing the Catania cell of the Sinaloa Cartel and of receiving cocaine from countries such as Colombia. The Guatemalans Ortega and Villagrán were arrested in Verona in January 2020, where they flew from Cartagena, Colombia, to close a drug deal.
Behind the facade of a soap import and export business, El Flaco controlled fentanyl production laboratories in China, Vietnam and Taiwan, which have been on the radar of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for four years.
A native of Sinaloa state, El Flaco relied on four trusted men: Salvador Ascencio Chávez —of Mexican origin, convicted on two occasions for trafficking hundreds of kilos of cocaine to Canada— and three Guatemalan citizens settled in Europe: Luis Fernando Morales Hernández, alias 'El Suegro', and the two Guatemalans in question.
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| Daniel “Tito” Esteban Ortega Ubeda and Felix Ruben Villagran Lopez in Verona, where they traveled from southern Italy for a cocaine deal. |
Once in European territory, the drugs are handed over to the ‘Ndrangheta, an Italian mafia group that dominates the cocaine trade in Europe. This group is based Calabria, one of the poorest regions of Italy.
The OCCRP revealed details of the intentions of the Sinaloa Cartel to establish itself in the European market. They said that the 385 kilograms were a test that would be followed by more tons.
According to court documents, the investigation is code-named Operation Halcon. It was established with the help of an informant, who was involved in the shipment of the cargo. This subject alerted the authorities and provided access to meetings with El Flaco.
Sources: Diario Libre; Infobae (1); (2); IrpiMedia
Animo Sicarios !
ReplyDeleteEl Señor Flaco is a man of business
A “test??”
ReplyDeleteSinaloa just getting into europe now???
12:27 trafficking into Uropa is nothing new now, must be some neophytes who smelled the set-up from a mile away and still went for it, flyweights who go for the crap like flies.
DeleteTrafficking old american jalopies and junk cars to Araby used to be a good business for federal police cops, they sold them there as if they were brand new, DFS commander miguel nazar haro got arrested on the US for dealing on drugs and stolen cars but he got promptly released, another famous lebanese car thief became a US Congressman, Darrell Issa, he made millions selling theft prevention devices, if you did not buy you got your car stolen, he even stole his commander's car in the army, the Uropeans invented drugs and trafficking along with the slave trade.
The slave trade was invented and passed from Northern Africa and the Middle East, with the precursor of taking conquered people as slaves throughout time well prior to the accounts of Jesus and the Bible. The mongols stick out as quite prolific slave traders and holders from their time conquering much of modern day China. Just a little logical issue, how could the people of a region invent a trade, which I am sure you are referring to the African trade, without any of those people to trade. Not like the first thought in the heads of European explorers upon seeing Africa was a light bulb moment of immediately thinking to buy and sell people. It was picked up from contact with the Middle East and Africa. The Koran speaks on slavery many times and predates any inkling of Europe as a distinct group of peoples, which it is far from, calling people from say, southern Russia (Georgia, Chechnya, etc...) the same in any way, other than they are all human, as people hailing from Ireland, Belgium, Denmark is quite the stretch.
DeleteFun info related to your usual rant, the wealthiest and likely most powerful diaspora, considering its small number related to other large diasporas around the world, is the Lebanese.
Checkout a series called ZeroZeroZero based on the book written by famous Italian reporter on narcos
DeleteThey’ve been working there for decades.
Deletendrangheta are small time compared to the cartels
ReplyDeleteHa.....old world/new world. In 50 years this won’t be funny...but right now you’re the circus and this is clown business.
DeleteI don't know what you mean with small time, because they distribute the drugs in most of the european countries and keep a very low profile (no violence or things of that nature). The ndrangheta is crucial for the drug trade in Europe. At the end I would say that they all (cartels, ndrangheta, etc.) need each other to make money.
DeleteThere shouldn't be any language problems. My Honduran friend worked in an Italian-American restaurant. He said he understood most of the conversations when they conversed in Italian.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if you ever heard somebody talk in Italian but some words sound exactly in Spanish but besides that somebody should know Italian or Spanish if not it would be a big problem trying to communicate.
DeleteThey're both Latin languages.
DeleteThe languages clocked at 40% equal by some experts. My Colombian novia was just conversing in Italy.
DeleteWe had Italian workers in for a few months three years ago and they were conversant with out Hispanic workers...
DeleteEl Flaco in Asia = Taiwan
ReplyDeleteDamn looks like el mayo is the plug for Ndrangheta in Europe and many other groups with labs all around the world pumping drugs out. Mencho wishes he had all the connections el mayo has.
ReplyDelete1:27 You MUST be NEW to this SITE..
DeletePleae dont judge she might have info on the Cilantro illegally grown in basement
DeleteLess say, it all started innocently, vero castro went to Italy to make telenovelas many many years ago, for you guessed it, Televisa!!!
ReplyDeleteThey were getting ready to replace their remote reporting vans caught somewhere, venezuela or nicaragua or guatermala, they should have stayed in Colombia where they hey better deals. Also, Jaime Camil Garza the weapons dealer for the mexican defense department recently deceased, liked to send his kids there for education purposes, but tommy Yarrington went there to hide among friends...marisela morales, fidel herrera beltran too, they got promises and better deals like "ambassadorships", bertie boy moreira, enrique francisco galindo ceballos, getting their masters degrees in money laundering in Spain, EPN learning to pimp there to support himself after retirement "in spain", salinas baby mama and his son went ro the Uropas to be real estate entrepreneurs...
No,no,no,no, when it comes to PIGS, the tres cochinitos just do not make the team
@1:55 A huevo jajajaja
Deletenothing new. Arellano felix were brokering deals with the italians and russians in the 90s
ReplyDeleteThe chinolas are in Italy learning 👖 👗 fashion tactics.
ReplyDeleteDoes that mean el flaco is enemy of los Carrillos fuentes ncdj??? If soo maybe he gave up el cesarin to los chapitos?
ReplyDeleteold ass mafia gotta go
ReplyDelete