LINK TO GLOBAL CARTEL

THE man who supplied the cocaine at the centre of missing drug trafficker
Tony Mokbel's drug trial worked for one of the world's most powerful drug
cartels.

Gino Brunetti is serving two life terms in the US for brokering huge
shipments of cocaine between two major cartels, Norte Valle in Colombia and
Arellano-Felix from Mexico.

Born Herbert Alberto Cruz Ruiz, but also known as Sebastian Santamaria,
Gabriel and El Gato, he was captured just days before Mokbel was arrested
in August 2001.

Mokbel was convicted in his absence on Tuesday of being involved in the
importation of cocaine.

The Supreme Court heard Brunetti was the contact in Mexico who was to send
more than 3kg of cocaine in November 2000.

The arrangements with Brunetti were made through an associate of Mokbel who
gave evidence in return for a reduced sentence.

But Australian Federal Police hit a snag trying to investigate the link to
the infamous cartel. The Mexican police were on the cartel's payroll.

While in a US jail, Brunetti joined the violent Mexican mafia gang, which
trafficked drugs for the Arellano-Felix organisation inside prisons.

He was deported to Colombia and became a go-between for the cartel and
Norte Valle in its bid to import huge quantities of cocaine into the US.