Update: Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela, who helped lead Colombia’s Cali cocaine cartel, has died in an American prison, two years after losing his bid for compassionate release because of his poor health. The cause was lymphoma, the Guardian reports. Rodríguez Orejuela, who was extradited to the US in 2004, built his organization with his brother, Miguel, and they battled Pablo Escobar and the Medellín cartel for dominance in the illicit drug trade. Our story from March 2020 follows:
Coronavirus has become a “get out of jail” card for hundreds of low-level inmates across the country, and even hard-timers are seeking their freedom with the argument that it’s not a matter of if but when the deadly illness sweeps through tightly packed populations behind bars. Among those pleading for compassionate release or home detention are the former head of the Cali drug cartel, President Trump’s former personal attorney, and America’s most infamous Ponzi schemer. A sampling of their arguments, per the AP:
Persecution Live 