Drug trafficker Juan Carlos Ramirez, Alias Chupeta, Won His Freedom In The U.S.: He Testified Against 'El Chapo' Guzman

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

This information was posted by INFOBAE

The ex-capo managed to prove the veracity of his statements against the head of the Sinaloa Cartel, providing several of his routes, meeting places and even the names of some of his associates.

WRITTEN BY: JOHN PARDO 

Chupeta's collaboration with the US justice system has been decisive for the imprisonment of the Sinaloa Cartel leader, thus achieving his own release - credit @lordofthemafia/X

There is news of Colombian drug lord Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía, known as alias Chupeta: his release in the United States was confirmed after reaching an agreement with the US justice system, despite having been sentenced in August 2023 to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking, homicide and money laundering-related crimes.

According to what was known, the drug trafficker obtained his freedom in October 2024, when he signed an agreement in exchange for the information he provided about Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

According to judicial sources consulted by El Tiempo, Ramirez Abadia became a “super witness” by providing crucial details about the cartel's operations, including routes, associates and meetings, which contributed to Guzman's conviction to life in prison plus 30 years.

Chupeta, who was part of the Norte del Valle cartel, has been relocated under a new identity to a protected area of the United States as part of a witness protection program. This benefit was also extended to his close family circle, who were relocated to the US.

Colombian drug lord underwent numerous surgeries to modify his face - credit @ALEJOrincon/X

“He managed to be a super witness, and apparently he proved it against 'Chapo Guzman', the information he gave referred to his beginnings at the side of Hector Luis Palma, in the 90's, when the control of coca was held by the 'Cali cartel' and the 'Nortel de Valle',” said one of the sources informed to the national newspaper.

Among the conditions imposed by the U.S. justice system on the Colombian ex-capo was the promise not to commit any more crimes and thus enjoy his full freedom with his family.

Born in Palmira, Valle, Ramírez Abadía joined the Cali cartel at an early age, under the leadership of the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers. Known for his well-groomed appearance and passion for fine horses, Chupeta branched out on his own and set up his own laboratories to process cocaine, building his criminal empire.

In 1996, Chupeta turned himself in to the authorities and was sentenced to 24 years in prison, although he only served eight years due to his collaboration with justice. In 2007, he was captured in Brazil during an operation against an international money laundering network. To avoid being identified, he underwent multiple plastic surgeries that altered his appearance.

Extradited to the United States, Chupeta became a key witness against several drug lords, including 'El Chapo' Guzmán.

The 20-year sentence alias Chupeta got away with

El Chapo's conviction was based, in part, on the testimony of Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía - credit Government of Mexico

Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía, known as “Chupeta,” was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Judge Brian Cogan at a Brooklyn court hearing on August 14, 2023. Ramírez Abadía, a former leader of Colombia's Norte del Valle Cartel, collaborated with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and later testified against him in the so-called “trial of the century”.

Despite his cooperation with authorities, he was unable to avoid conviction at the time due to the serious crimes he faced in the United States, including murder, drug trafficking, organized crime and money laundering.

During the hearing, Judge Cogan highlighted the importance of “Chupeta's” collaboration in cases against figures such as Guzmán Loera, convicted in the same court in July 2019, and Jesús “El Rey” Zambada. However, the judge argued that this cooperation did not erase the crimes committed, recalling Ramírez Abadía's responsibility in at least 150 murders.

Ramírez Abadía's defense attorney argued that his client had participated in 75 percent of the high-level cases in the Eastern District of New York involving Colombian and Mexican drug traffickers. According to statements released by journalist Keegan Hamilton, the lawyer claimed that if cooperation were measured on a scale of one to ten, Ramírez Abadía would be an 11, in an attempt to obtain benefits for his client.

Born in 1963 in Palmira, Colombia, Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia became one of the country's most powerful criminal leaders towards the end of the 20th century. The U.S. government traced the start of his criminal career to 1986, when he became involved in drug trafficking. By the mid-1990s, he headed the North Valley Cartel, an organization that shipped large cocaine shipments to cities such as Los Angeles and San Antonio via Mexico.

The U.S. Department of Justice identified that between 1989 and the following years, Ramírez Abadía played a crucial role in trafficking drugs into the country. His testimony was pivotal in the trial against El Chapo, where he detailed the joint operations between his cartel and the Sinaloa cartel, led by Guzman.

SOURCE: INFOABE