DRUG KINGPIN GETS 20 YEARS IN PRISON

A Rancho Bernardo man described as the leader of a drug-distribution
network that moved thousands of pounds of cocaine across the country was
sentenced to 20 years in prison yesterday.

Omar Rocha Soto, 39, admitted to overseeing a marijuana and cocaine ring
that shipped drugs from Chicago and Houston to New York, Cleveland and
Nashville. In February, he pleaded guilty to a federal count known as the
"kingpin" charge in exchange for a recommendation from prosecutors that he
serve 20 years instead of the maximum life sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Moore said she found no evidence that Rocha
moved drugs from San Diego County, although the Chicago transplant lived here.

Eugene Iredale, his defense attorney, declined to comment.

Rocha's arrest in April 1999 capped a yearlong, multi-agency investigation
that rounded up nearly 100 suspects. Four people have pleaded guilty in the
San Diego case, including Rocha's wife, Adriana Espinoza.

During the investigation -- dubbed Operation Southwest Express -- federal
agents seized 2,727 kilograms of cocaine, about 2 tons of marijuana and
more than $1 million in cash.

Authorities say Rocha brokered deals with drug sources in Mexico, who then
hired drug transportation groups to move the drugs across the border. From
Houston and Chicago, the drugs were sent to cities throughout the Midwest
and East.

Rocha and his family paid $649,000 for a Rancho Bernardo house with a guest
house they used for the maid's quarters and a pool with a waterfall.
Authorities said improvements Rocha made to the home increased its worth to
about $1 million. The U.S. government confiscated the house and has since
sold it.