{"id":49363,"date":"2022-04-10T14:39:28","date_gmt":"2022-04-10T21:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=49363"},"modified":"2022-04-10T14:39:28","modified_gmt":"2022-04-10T21:39:28","slug":"two-leaders-of-puerto-rican-drug-cartel-convicted-facing-life-sentences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=49363","title":{"rendered":"Two Leaders of Puerto Rican Drug Cartel Convicted, Facing Life Sentences"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NEW YORK<\/span><\/p>\n

The Puerto Rican drug cartel leaders, Julio Marquez-Alejando, a\/k\/a \u201cChino,\u201d and Luis Blondet, were convicted last week for racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, murder while engaged in a drug crime, and murder through the use of a firearm, according to federal authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"After less than a day of deliberations, the unanimous jury convicted the two men on Thursday, officials stated. The trial lasted three weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman presided over the trial.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: \u00a0\u201cYesterday\u2019s verdict brings justice for the more than a dozen victims of the defendants\u2019 years-long campaign of brutal violence.\u00a0 Using murder after murder and bribery of corrupt Puerto Rico police officers, the defendants profited from distributing tons of cocaine throughout Puerto Rico and other places in the United States, including drugs sold out of a children\u2019s daycare center in the Bronx.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"According to the evidence at trial, Marquez-Alejandro was one of the founding fathers of La Organization de Narcotraficantes Unidos<\/i>, or La ONU, a criminal enterprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Members of the organization around 2004 through 2006, committed dozens of murders, the bribery of corrupt police officers in Puerto Rico, and the distribution of thousands of kilograms of cocaine, including the shipment of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cocaine supplied by La ONU was distributed in New York City, including out of a children\u2019s daycare center in the Bronx. <\/span><\/p>\n

Blondet was a member of La ONU and one of Marquez-Alejandro’s closest allies.<\/span><\/p>\n

On or about April 9, 2005, Blondet murdered Crystal Martinez-Ramirez. After Martinez-Ramirez refused Blondet’s advances, Blondet shot Martinez-Ramirez in the head twice and dumped her body on a street corner in San Juan, Puerto Rico.<\/span><\/p>\n

On or about December 28, 2006, Israel Crespo-Cotto was murdered on the orders of Marquez-Alejandro <\/span><\/p>\n

Marquez-Alejandro’s assassins killed Crespo-Cotto, a double amputee, while he was sitting in his wheelchair in the Manuel A. Perez public housing projects in San Juan, Puerto Rico. <\/span><\/p>\n

Crespo-Cotto was shot 24 times.<\/span><\/p>\n

On or about March 20, 2009, Carlos Barbosa was murdered on the orders of Marquez-Alejandro because Barbosa was believed to be plotting to seize power from Marquez-Alejandro. \u00a0Barbosa was shot over a dozen times while getting his hair cut at a barbershop in Levittown, Puerto Rico.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, evidence was presented at trial, that both defendants ordered or participated in more than a dozen murders.<\/span><\/p>\n

These murders including the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

On or about May 9, 2007, members of La ONU, including Marquez-Alejandro, \u00a0hired corrupt Puerto Rico police officers to participate in the murder of Anthony Castro-Carrillo in Carolina, Puerto Rico, in exchange for a cash bonus. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Members of La ONU and two corrupt cops stormed Castro-Carrillo\u2019s residence while dressed as police officers and shot and killed him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marquez-Alejandro, Blondet, and other members of La ONU arranged for the murder of Hommysan Cari\u00f1o-Bruno, a leader of a rival drug organization, paying a driver to kill Cari\u00f1o-Bruno and providing a firearm. \u00a0Cari\u00f1o-Bruno was shot and killed while inside a van on or about April 29, 2008, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.<\/span><\/p>\n

On or about November 27, 2009, Emanuel Correa Romero, a\/k\/a \u201cOreo,\u201d was murdered on the orders of Marquez-Alejandro.<\/span><\/p>\n

Members of La ONU beat Correa Romero until he appeared dead. \u00a0After the assault, members of La ONU placed Correa Romero\u2019s body into a suitcase and later reported back that they shot the suitcase dozens of times and then lit it on fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marquez-Alejandro, 52, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Blondet, 47, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, were returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals following the return of the verdict.<\/span><\/p>\n

If convicted of these crimes, both Marquez-Alejandro and Blondet are facing life in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK The Puerto Rican drug cartel leaders, Julio Marquez-Alejando, a\/k\/a \u201cChino,\u201d and Luis Blondet, were convicted last week for racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, murder while engaged in a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3255],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-federal-court"],"yoast_head":"\nTwo Leaders of Puerto Rican Drug Cartel Convicted, Facing Life Sentences<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"NEW YORK The Puerto Rican drug cartel leaders, Julio Marquez-Alejando, a\/k\/a \u201cChino,\u201d and Luis Blondet, were convicted last week for racketeering\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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