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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cali Cartel Leader Sentenced To 9 Years

From Staff And Wire Reports

A leader of the Cali drug cartel who turned himself in last year during a police crackdown was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison.

Victor Patino, a former policeman who was considered the No. 5 man in the cartel, cut his sentence in half by surrendering and confessing to drug trafficking and illegal enrichment.

Patino, 37, was among half a dozen cartel kingpins who surrendered or were arrested in 1995 during an intense police effort to dismantle the leadership of the world’s biggest cocaine syndicate.