North Coast Cartel
Encyclopedia
The North Coast Cartel was a drug cartel
operating in northern Colombia
mostly controlling the area of the Colombian Caribbean coast illegal drug trade
flow from other regions of Colombia and neighboring countries and local production. The North Coast Cartel was headed by Alberto Orlandez-Gamboa "Caracol" (the snail), who in a vendetta eliminated the Valdeblanquez family. He was arrested on June 6, 1998 and extradited later to the United States
where he pleaded guilty for numerous drug-related crime
s. Other notable members of the North Coast cartel were the Nasser Arana family clan who owned several assets in Barranquilla
some 270 properties, including the luxurious Hotel El Prado, which is now property of the Colombian government. The most prominent members of the clan were Julio Cesar Nasser David and his ex-wife Sheila Nasser Arana. She was captured in Switzerland and then extradited to the United states in September 1994. She accepted being responsible for sending to the United States some 30 shipments of cocaine and marijuana between 1976 and 1994. Her husband was also covered by the extradition but he died shortly of natural causes, on January 13, 2000. After serving time in prison, their son Jorge "Tito" Nasser Arana was killed by gunmen in Barranquilla exiting local gym. Jaime Arana, captured in early 1999, was acquitted in 2001. José David Hasbun was also acquitted. Carlos Alberto Nasser Arana was captured in 1998. Claudia Nasser Arana and Carlos Alberto "Capeto" Nasser Arana were found guilty of money laundering
and illegal enrichment. Capeto unsuccessfully attempted to regain the Hotel del Prado and several other properties back from the Colombian gov't and currently is known to walk the streets selling various clothing items.
Drug cartel
Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the largest trafficking...
operating in northern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
mostly controlling the area of the Colombian Caribbean coast illegal drug trade
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
flow from other regions of Colombia and neighboring countries and local production. The North Coast Cartel was headed by Alberto Orlandez-Gamboa "Caracol" (the snail), who in a vendetta eliminated the Valdeblanquez family. He was arrested on June 6, 1998 and extradited later to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he pleaded guilty for numerous drug-related crime
Drug-Related Crime
In the United States, Illegal drugs are related to crime in multiple ways. Most directly, it is a crime to use, possess, manufacture, or distribute drugs classified as having a potential for abuse...
s. Other notable members of the North Coast cartel were the Nasser Arana family clan who owned several assets in Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
some 270 properties, including the luxurious Hotel El Prado, which is now property of the Colombian government. The most prominent members of the clan were Julio Cesar Nasser David and his ex-wife Sheila Nasser Arana. She was captured in Switzerland and then extradited to the United states in September 1994. She accepted being responsible for sending to the United States some 30 shipments of cocaine and marijuana between 1976 and 1994. Her husband was also covered by the extradition but he died shortly of natural causes, on January 13, 2000. After serving time in prison, their son Jorge "Tito" Nasser Arana was killed by gunmen in Barranquilla exiting local gym. Jaime Arana, captured in early 1999, was acquitted in 2001. José David Hasbun was also acquitted. Carlos Alberto Nasser Arana was captured in 1998. Claudia Nasser Arana and Carlos Alberto "Capeto" Nasser Arana were found guilty of money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
and illegal enrichment. Capeto unsuccessfully attempted to regain the Hotel del Prado and several other properties back from the Colombian gov't and currently is known to walk the streets selling various clothing items.
Other members
- Cursis Antonio Gonzalez aka "Crusito Gonzalez", assassinated in a commercial establishment in Barranquilla by gunment, he was a collaborator of Alberto Orlande Gamboa aka "El Caracol". He was killed after the extradition of this last one.
- Gustavo Salazar Bernal, killed in CartagenaCartagena, ColombiaCartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
on August 30, 2001 by gunman Jhon Fredy Orrego Marín who was associated to the Norte del Valle CartelNorte del Valle CartelThe Norte del Valle Cartel, or North Valley Cartel, is a drug cartel that operates principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia...
. He was killed for being responsible for "losing" a shipment of drugs bounded to Europe. His brother Hernando was also killed by the Norte del Valle CartelNorte del Valle CartelThe Norte del Valle Cartel, or North Valley Cartel, is a drug cartel that operates principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia...
.