The recent decision by federal judge William P. Dimitrouleas to deny “compassionate release” due to illness to Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela was not based solely on legal technicalities, but on the enormous historical weight of the crimes committed by the former head of the Cali Cartel and his conduct before the US justice system.
According to American criminal lawyer Jay White, with whom I spoke to try to understand the reasons behind the decision, the US judicial system made it clear that the seriousness of the crimes and the lack of cooperation continue to outweigh the former drug trafficker’s current physical decline.
“The judges remember the crimes and they remember the deaths and suffering he caused with all the cocaine that came into this country at that time,” the lawyer stated, trying to explain the court’s perspective.
Another factor that, according to reports, the justice system took into account to deny the benefit was the magnitude of the criminal operations directed by Rodríguez Orejuela before his capture and extradition.
