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NewsMine cabal-elite cia-drug-mafia barry-seal Viewing Item | Colombian seal slayers convicted { May 14 1987 } THE WASHINGTON POST
3 Convicted of Killing Drug Informer:[FINAL Edition] The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext). Washington, D.C.: May 14, 1987. pg. a.08 Full Text (356 words) Copyright The Washington Post Company May 14, 1987
Three Colombians were convicted of first-degree murder today in the machine-gun slaying of informer Adler (Barry) Seal, whose undercover work had led to the indictment of an alleged leader of a cocaine cartel.
Luis Carlos Quintero-Cruz, 34; Miguel Velez, 37, and Bernardo Vasquez, 33, showed little emotion when the verdict was read.
State District Judge Charlie Quienalty ordered the punishment phase of the trial to begin immediately. The same jury that decided the trio's guilt, after deliberations that began on Tuesday, will hear additional evidence and decide between the death penalty and life imprisonment without parole.
Seal, 43, was hit by a burst of machine-gun fire as he sat in his car outside a Salvation Army halfway house in Baton Rouge on Feb. 19, 1986.
Seal's undercover work had resulted in federal charges against Jorge Ochoa, an alleged leader of the Medellin cocaine cartel based in Colombia, who faced extradition from Spain to the United States, authorities said.
A prosecution witness said the Colombian-based smuggling ring, which has been blamed for importing tons of cocaine into the United States, had placed a $500,000 contract on Seal's life.
Seal, who was serving a probated sentence at the halfway house on drug and currency charges, had refused to enter the federal witness protection program. A flamboyant man once described as the nation's youngest airline pilot, he scorned the witness program because it would have subdued his life style.
His estate has been seized by the Internal Revenue Service, which says he owed as much as $30 million in back taxes.
Quintero-Cruz and Vasquez were arrested about two days after Seal's killing in Louisiana, while Velez was caught in Mississippi trying to reach Alabama in a taxi.
Quintero-Cruz was described as the triggerman, Velez as the getaway driver and Vasquez as the organizer who obtained weapons, cars and lodging. A fourth man, Jose Campo, is to be tried later.
During the five-week trial, two of the prosecution's 125 witnesses identified Quintero-Cruz as the one who pulled the trigger. Another said he saw Velez drive the getaway car, and several said Vasquez took care of the logistics of the mission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission. Dateline: LAKE CHARLES, La., May 13 Section: A SECTION ISSN/ISBN: 01908286 Text Word Count 356
© 2002, 2004 The Washington Post Company
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