MAN IN EXTRADITION CASE DRUG BOSS, JUDGE SAYS

Mexican Accused Of Smuggling More Than $87-Million (U.S.) In Cocaine,
Pot Into U.S.

VANCOUVER -- When the Supreme Court of British Columbia issued a
decision this week paving the way for the extradition of David Orozco,
it wasn't just another case of U.S. authorities seeking the return of
a man wanted on routine drug charges.

In issuing the order of committal, Madam Justice Janice Dillon
described Mr. Orozco, who was arrested at Vancouver International
Airport last year, as the "main boss" of an operation that allegedly
smuggled more than $87-million (U.S.) worth of cocaine and marijuana
from Mexico into Texas. The committal order is referred to the
Minister of Justice for an order of surrender for extradition. The
order can be appealed.

Relying on information provided by U.S. authorities in support of an
extradition request, Judge Dillon outlined the unfolding of a criminal
organization that moved huge amounts of cocaine and marijuana using
specially adapted refrigerator truck trailers.

Mr. Orozco, a Mexican national currently in custody, is wanted in
Texas for conspiracy to import about 10 tonnes of cocaine and
marijuana and for possession for the purpose of trafficking.

In her written judgment, Judge Dillon said Mr. Orozco "substantially
agreed with the summary of facts," presented by U.S. authorities,
although he disputed the timing of some events.

Relying on those facts, she outlined a case that illustrates how drug
smuggling has developed into a large-volume business.

U.S. investigators discovered Mr. Orozco's organization in the
mid-1990s, when they found the insulation in large refrigerated
trailers was being removed and replaced with tightly packed packages
of drugs.

In January of 1994, U.S. authorities seized 1,318 kilograms of cocaine
and arrested two of Mr. Orozco's brothers, one of whom had David
Orozco's telephone number on a digital pager.

Judge Dillon said the U.S. investigation found the trucks were loaded
in warehouses in Mexico, where the roofs were opened so they could be
loaded with cocaine and marijuana. Then the roofs were replaced and
repainted.

U.S. authorities, the judge said, got information on the organization
by a co-conspirator of Mr. Orozco's, identified only as Garcia-Reyes,
who attended the opening of a warehouse refrigeration business in
Hidalgo, Tex., called Cold Storage.

Tracing vehicle-identification numbers, U.S. police linked several
trailers that had been seized containing more than two tonnes of
marijuana to the Cold Storage operation.

One truck was found with $4.3-million in cash stuffed in the roof of a
trailer, and several others were found empty, but with recently
altered roofs.

Judge Dillon said that by the fall of 1995, Mr. Orozco "was a major
player, if not the main boss of American operations."

In November of 1995, police arrested the driver of a refrigerated
trailer found to be carrying more than a tonne of cocaine concealed in
the roof, which had new rivets and paint.

The VIN on this trailer was linked to others that led to the Cold
Storage location in Hidalgo.

In 1996, Mr. Orozco was recruiting and training additional drivers and
looking for more warehouses as he sought to expand his operation. The
court heard that drivers, some of whom are co-operating with U.S.
authorities on the case, were being paid $20,000 for each load of
narcotics they hauled across the border.

Garcia-Reyes, whose job was to guide trucks to the warehouse, open the
gates and operate as a lookout, was paid up to $5,000 a load.

Judge Dillon said Mr. Orozco tried to insulate himself from the
operation by making sure that the drivers didn't know each other and
by dealing with them only through an intermediary. Each driver was
assigned a number by which he was paged.

In April of 1996, U.S. Customs intercepted a refrigerated trailer with
more than a tonne of cocaine stashed inside the roof. But instead of
arresting the driver they persuaded him to co-operate, and he made his
delivery while under covert surveillance, with a large "X" in duct
tape on the roof of the trailer so it could be watched from the air.

Shortly after the trailer was delivered, however, warehouse workers
found the "X" on the roof and everyone fled.

Police arrested several people, but not Mr. Orozco, who was waiting at
a nearby restaurant -- and who U.S. authorities sought until he showed
up at Vancouver airport and was flagged by immigration officials.

The value of the drugs found in the Cold Storage trucks was pegged at
$87-million (U.S.), but it isn't known how many shipments might have
made it through.

Judge Dillon said the case outlined by U.S. authorities shows "Orozco
was clearly directing organizational dealings through . . . the
tractor drivers, and others. He is directly implicated in Apr. 1, 1996
and Apr. 19, 1996 seizures. The drug seizures in 1995, on May 12, Aug.
5, Oct. 31, and Nov. 28, all bore the hallmarks of this organization.
They were linked to each other through documentary evidence,
personnel, and methodology."

She said he was the "American boss" and there was sufficient evidence
to issue the order of committal.