Colombian drug trafficker posing as a Spanish citizen caught by DEA and Interpol when he participated in the Latin American Poker Tour, which took place at a luxury hotel in Uruguay.
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All that was known at the time was this: He was wanted by a Miami court for his criminal ties to Mexican drug lords Arturo Beltrán Leyva and Joaquín ‘el Chapo’ Guzmán.
After being warned about his possible escape, authorities Montevideo was handed over to the DEA for extradition to the United States in 2011 and was never heard from again.
His name is Juan Diego Montoya Bernal, aka Mechas. At the time, the Police noted that Carlos Lehder, one of the leaders of the Medellín cartel and Pablo Escobar’s main ally, was the alleged heir to some of the mafia power.
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Lehder, 73, was released in 2020 after three decades in prison. And ‘Mechas’ was sentenced in 2019 after serving 9 years and 4 months in a federal prison.
He also managed to stay and live in Miami. But his name remains involved in one of the largest asset confiscation proceedings by the Colombian Prosecutor’s Office, which is months away from being identified.
This is a package of 130 properties, 19 vehicles and 9 companies. It is worth more than $40 million and is located in Medellín, Cartagena, Bucaramanga, Envigado, Itagüí, Bello, Rionegro, Puerto Parra, La Estrella and Vélez.
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Among the properties affected by this case are apartments of a prestigious hotel in Cartagena. even a gym, a motel, a few farms, and state-of-the-art cars.
‘Mechas’ was linked to the call when the boss crashed in the poker game, the National Police reported at the time. ‘Drug trafficking board’ through the Álvarez Meyendorff brothers.
According to the file, the then-husband of ‘Mechas’ (surname Herrera) was the cousin of one of Carlos Lehder’s daughters. Additionally, his uncle, Benjamín Herrera Zuleta, was known in the mafia as the ‘black pope of cocaine’.
Secondly, a native of San Roque (Antioquia), He was convicted of drug trafficking after being caught in North Miami (in 1988) by order of a Las Vegas court.
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In the first stage of the extermination process, a verdict was issued against some members of the Herrera family, and their lawyers immediately filed an objection. And now the case is in the hands of a prosecutor who specializes in anti-money laundering, who is about to make his decision.
But there are ‘Mechas’ another version of the origin of the millionaire fortune and even says he is willing to testify before the Colombian justice system.
“My only involvement in this case was that I was married to Gustavo Herrera Zuleta’s daughter. But I never had a business relationship; just family. But Gustavo confiscated almost 80 percent of the assets that appeared to be related to me.. But these assets are not mine,” ‘Mechas’ told EL TIEMPO.
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He added that the claim that the Herrera family was laundering money on his behalf is not true: “Signs fall in chronological order. They say I use Carlos Lehder’s routes because my ex-wife gave them to me. But I never met that Mr. Lehder. When I was arrested, I was 11-12 years old and my wife was 9 years old.”.
And he added: “I never had drug smuggling routes through the Bahamas. The United States authorities know how I got into drug trafficking, and there is no one with the last name Lehder or Herrera. They investigated My behavior between 2000 and 2009 and indictment“If they want to,” he emphasized.
He said that those who know him know that he started the drug trade thanks to his family. (Héctor and Darío Trujillo Hoyos were killed in battle with Pablo Escobar), and not by the Herreras.
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“It’s also not true that they are my front men. The seized properties had been in their possession for over 30 years and I was 37 years old when they caught me. Accordingly, when I was 7 years old, I already had a capital of 200 million dollars as a result of drug trafficking.”.
The former boss also denies handing over any of these assets to the US as part of the negotiations: “I have nothing to do with these properties. There is even a motel there (called Aries). “I paid compensation in the United States, but it was in cash.”
According to his file, he was given a forfeiture penalty of one million dollars, and the delivery of that penalty was verified by federal agents.
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Regarding the multi-million dollar extinction process, EL TIEMPO investigated and found that the prosecutor in the case had to decide whether to approve the trial court. In such a case, the case will go to the judge, who will decide whether this sweet fortune will be extinguished and remain in the hands of the state or returned to the members of the Herrera family.
Other possible scenario The first thing the prosecutor’s office can object to is the reversal of the decision.
(See all articles from EL TIEMPO Investigation Unit here)
The assets are currently managed by Sociedad de Activos Especiales (SAE); Montoya says he is ready to testify; And Carlos Lehder remains in Germany after serving his sentence in the USA.
Excavation No comments were made on this issue.
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Source: Exame
