Pubdate: Tue, 27 Mar 2001
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2001 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202
Fax: (303) 820.1502
Website: http://www.denverpost.com/
Forum: http://www.denverpost.com/voice/voice.htm
Author: Mike McPhee, Denver Post Staff Writer

3 FOUND GUILTY IN "MEXICAN MAFIA' DRUG CASE

Mar. 27, 2001 - Three members of the Denver branch of the "Mexican mafia" 
were convicted Monday on 27 counts of distributing cocaine and methamphetamine.

Manuel Carrillo, Raul Atayde and Hector Gonzalez, all of Denver, face from 
30 years to life in prison for acting as middlemen between suppliers and 
drug users. Sentencing is set for June.

Carrillo, considered the ringleader, defended himself without a lawyer 
during the five-week trial. The six-man, six-woman jury took three days to 
reach the verdict.

The case stemmed from a 2 1/2-year federal probe that ended in August 1999 
with the arrest of 35 drug-selling suspects. Ten people pleaded guilty, one 
was released, and two other trials are scheduled for May and June.

"This was a significant statement of guilt that the jury found for a major 
drug organization," said U.S. Attorney Tom Strickland. "The term "Mexican 
mafia' was something they used to describe themselves; they were authorized 
to use it. It's a term of consequence within their community."

During the trial, prosecutors said the volume of drug deals was staggering. 
A wiretap placed on Carrillo's home in May 1999 stunned even veteran drug 
investigators, officials said.

"It was unbelievable, the amount of calls and drugs they talked about," 
said prosecutor Al LaCabe. "Right from the start, it was deal after deal 
after deal."

None of the deals involved quantities much larger than 1 kilogram. The 
majority of deals involved 50 grams or less. Testimony showed that Carrillo 
liked to buy a kilo of cocaine for about $19,000 and move it quickly for 
$21,000.
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