Pubdate: Sat, 19 Nov 2005 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) Copyright: 2005, The Globe and Mail Company Contact: http://www.globeandmail.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168 Author: Mark Hume Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) MAN IN EXTRADITION CASE DRUG BOSS, JUDGE SAYS Mexican Accused Of Smuggling More Than $87-Million (U.S.) In Cocaine, Pot Into U.S. VANCOUVER -- When the Supreme Court of British Columbia issued a decision this week paving the way for the extradition of David Orozco, it wasn't just another case of U.S. authorities seeking the return of a man wanted on routine drug charges. In issuing the order of committal, Madam Justice Janice Dillon described Mr. Orozco, who was arrested at Vancouver International Airport last year, as the "main boss" of an operation that allegedly smuggled more than $87-million (U.S.) worth of cocaine and marijuana from Mexico into Texas. The committal order is referred to the Minister of Justice for an order of surrender for extradition. The order can be appealed. Relying on information provided by U.S. authorities in support of an extradition request, Judge Dillon outlined the unfolding of a criminal organization that moved huge amounts of cocaine and marijuana using specially adapted refrigerator truck trailers. Mr. Orozco, a Mexican national currently in custody, is wanted in Texas for conspiracy to import about 10 tonnes of cocaine and marijuana and for possession for the purpose of trafficking. In her written judgment, Judge Dillon said Mr. Orozco "substantially agreed with the summary of facts," presented by U.S. authorities, although he disputed the timing of some events. Relying on those facts, she outlined a case that illustrates how drug smuggling has developed into a large-volume business. U.S. investigators discovered Mr. Orozco's organization in the mid-1990s, when they found the insulation in large refrigerated trailers was being removed and replaced with tightly packed packages of drugs. In January of 1994, U.S. authorities seized 1,318 kilograms of cocaine and arrested two of Mr. Orozco's brothers, one of whom had David Orozco's telephone number on a digital pager. Judge Dillon said the U.S. investigation found the trucks were loaded in warehouses in Mexico, where the roofs were opened so they could be loaded with cocaine and marijuana. Then the roofs were replaced and repainted. U.S. authorities, the judge said, got information on the organization by a co-conspirator of Mr. Orozco's, identified only as Garcia-Reyes, who attended the opening of a warehouse refrigeration business in Hidalgo, Tex., called Cold Storage. Tracing vehicle-identification numbers, U.S. police linked several trailers that had been seized containing more than two tonnes of marijuana to the Cold Storage operation. One truck was found with $4.3-million in cash stuffed in the roof of a trailer, and several others were found empty, but with recently altered roofs. Judge Dillon said that by the fall of 1995, Mr. Orozco "was a major player, if not the main boss of American operations." In November of 1995, police arrested the driver of a refrigerated trailer found to be carrying more than a tonne of cocaine concealed in the roof, which had new rivets and paint. The VIN on this trailer was linked to others that led to the Cold Storage location in Hidalgo. In 1996, Mr. Orozco was recruiting and training additional drivers and looking for more warehouses as he sought to expand his operation. The court heard that drivers, some of whom are co-operating with U.S. authorities on the case, were being paid $20,000 for each load of narcotics they hauled across the border. Garcia-Reyes, whose job was to guide trucks to the warehouse, open the gates and operate as a lookout, was paid up to $5,000 a load. Judge Dillon said Mr. Orozco tried to insulate himself from the operation by making sure that the drivers didn't know each other and by dealing with them only through an intermediary. Each driver was assigned a number by which he was paged. In April of 1996, U.S. Customs intercepted a refrigerated trailer with more than a tonne of cocaine stashed inside the roof. But instead of arresting the driver they persuaded him to co-operate, and he made his delivery while under covert surveillance, with a large "X" in duct tape on the roof of the trailer so it could be watched from the air. Shortly after the trailer was delivered, however, warehouse workers found the "X" on the roof and everyone fled. Police arrested several people, but not Mr. Orozco, who was waiting at a nearby restaurant -- and who U.S. authorities sought until he showed up at Vancouver airport and was flagged by immigration officials. The value of the drugs found in the Cold Storage trucks was pegged at $87-million (U.S.), but it isn't known how many shipments might have made it through. Judge Dillon said the case outlined by U.S. authorities shows "Orozco was clearly directing organizational dealings through . . . the tractor drivers, and others. He is directly implicated in Apr. 1, 1996 and Apr. 19, 1996 seizures. The drug seizures in 1995, on May 12, Aug. 5, Oct. 31, and Nov. 28, all bore the hallmarks of this organization. They were linked to each other through documentary evidence, personnel, and methodology." She said he was the "American boss" and there was sufficient evidence to issue the order of committal. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin