The Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute (commonly referred to as CCE Statute or Kingpin Statute) is a United States federal law that targets large-scale drug traffickers who are responsible for long-term and elaborate drug conspiracies. Unlike the RICO Act, which covers a wide range of organized crime enterprises, the CCE statute covers only major narcotics organizations. CCE is codified as Chapter 13 of Title 21 of the United States Code, 21 U.S.C. § 848. The statute makes it a federal crime to commit or conspire to commit a continuing series of felony violations of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 when such acts are taken in concert with five or more other persons. For conviction under the statute, the offender must have been an organizer, manager, or supervisor of the continuing operation and have obtained substantial income or resources from the drug violations. [1]
The sentence for a first CCE conviction is a mandatory minimum of twenty years' imprisonment (with a maximum of life imprisonment), a fine of not more than $2 million, and the forfeiture of profits and any interest in the enterprise. Under the so-called "super kingpin" provision added as subsection (b) to the CCE statute in 1984, a person convicted of being a "principal" administrator, organizer, or leader of a criminal enterprise that either involves a large amount of narcotics (at least 300 times the quantity that would trigger a five-year mandatory-minimum sentence for possession) or generates a large amount of money (at least $10 million in gross receipts during a single year) must serve a mandatory life sentence. Anyone engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise who intentionally kills a person or causes an intentional killing may be sentenced to death. Probation, parole, and suspension of the sentence are prohibited. [2] [3]
The Black Mafia Family was a major cocaine distribution organization led by brothers Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry "Southwest T" Flenory. Originally from the streets of Southwest Detroit, the brothers started selling $50 bags of crack in high school and by the early 1990s were distributing thousands of kilograms of cocaine in over 21 states. [4]
Rayful Edmond was convicted of distributing thousands of kilograms of cocaine in the Washington, D.C. area. His trial featured the first ever anonymous jury in the District's history. Furthermore, jurors were kept behind bulletproof glass in the courtroom and the defendant, Edmond, was housed at the U.S. Marine Base at Quantico and flown in daily on military transport. [5]
Larry Hoover was the founder of the Gangster Disciples street gang and was alleged to be its leader despite being in prison since 1973. On August 31, 1995, Hoover was arrested by federal agents at the Vienna Correctional Center and moved to MCC Chicago, being charged with Continuing Criminal Enterprise and a host of other charges related to gang activity. He is currently serving a life sentence at the super-maximum security facility in ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado. [6]
Several leaders of the Tijuana Cartel all would eventually have CCE charges brought against them for cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana trafficking offenses; as well as numerous murders. All brothers involved in the cartel are now either dead, or in prison. [7] [8]
Salvador "Sal" Magluta and Augusto "Willy" Falcon operated one of the most significant cocaine trafficking organizations in South Florida history. They were indicted by a federal grand jury in April 1991 for a plethora of drug trafficking crimes, including operating a continuing criminal enterprise. They were accused of importing and distributing over 75 tons of cocaine, or over 68,181 kilograms (150,000 lbs). Both Magluta and Falcon were found not guilty after a lengthy trial before Judge Federico Moreno. Magluta was represented by Roy Black, Martin Wienberg, and Richard Martinez and Falcon was represented by Albert Krieger, Susan Van Dusen, and D. Robert "Bobby" Wells. [9] Following the trial, the United States Attorney's Office directed an investigation into Magluta and Falcon's finances that ultimately revealed that members of their jury - including the jury foreman - had been bribed. Magluta, Falcon, several of the jurors, their associates and even some of their lawyers were ultimately charged with various criminal offenses arising from the conduct. Magluta was eventually sentenced to 205 years in federal prison, while Falcon received only 20 years after striking a plea deal with the government. Magluta was initially transferred to the supermax federal prison facility in Florence, Colorado. In 2010, after Magluta's attorney, Paul Petruzzi, sued the Federal Government, Magluta was transferred out of ADX Florence. Federal agents involved in the case say there are few drug traffickers in history more successful or well-known than Magluta and Falcon. Magluta is currently seeking a new trial based on over 40 legal violations. He is presently represented by Paul Petruzzi and Richard Klugh. [10]
Felix "The Cat" Mitchell was a well-known heroin kingpin and leader of the "69 Mob" in Oakland, CA. At its height, his empire covered all of California and extended into the Midwest. His organization brought in an estimated $400,000 in monthly business. In 1985 Felix was convicted of running a continuing criminal enterprise and sentenced to life in prison in USP Leavenworth, one of the most violent facilities in the country. Less than a year into his sentence, on August 21, 1986, Felix was stabbed to death in his cell, just days before his 32nd birthday. His funeral was a major spectacle in Oakland. Over 10 Rolls-Royce limousines trailed the horse-drawn carriage that carried his body. Many celebrities and over 1,000 people attended the elaborate funeral, which received international media coverage. [11]
Ross William Ulbricht was indicted under the Continuing Criminal Enterprise statute, along with other offenses, for running the Silk Road online marketplace. [12] On February 4, 2015, he was found guilty on all counts. [13] On May 29, 2015, Ulbricht was sentenced to two life sentences plus 40 years without the possibility of parole. [14]
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a drug cartel known for shipping cocaine, methamphetamines, marijuana, [15] and heroin throughout the US. He was charged with 27 separate violations and the jury decided that he was guilty of 25. [16] Guzmán was imprisoned at ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Colorado, after he was sentenced on July 17, 2019. [17]
Osiel Cárdenas Guillén is a Mexican drug lord and the former leader of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. Originally a mechanic in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, he entered the cartel by killing Juan García Abrego's friend and competitor Salvador Gómez, after the former's arrest in 1996. As confrontations with rival groups heated up, Osiel Cárdenas sought and recruited over 30 deserters from the Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales to form the cartel's armed wing. Los Zetas served as the hired private mercenary army of the Gulf Cartel.
The Tijuana Cartel or Arellano-Félix-Cartel is a Mexican drug cartel based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Founded by the Arellano-Félix family, the cartel once was described as "one of the biggest and most violent criminal groups in Mexico". However, since the 2006 Sinaloa Cartel incursion in Baja California and the fall of the Arellano-Félix brothers, the Tijuana Cartel has been reduced to a few cells. In 2016, the organization became known as Cartel Tijuana Nueva Generación and began to align itself under the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, along with Beltrán Leyva Organization (BLO) to create an anti-Sinaloa alliance, in which the Jalisco New Generation Cartel heads. This alliance has since dwindled as the Tijuana, Jalisco New Generation, and Sinaloa cartels all now battle each other for trafficking influence in the city of Tijuana and the region of Baja California.
Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff is an American convicted former drug lord and gangster from New York City.
Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, commonly known as "El Chapo", is a Mexican former drug lord and a former leader within the Sinaloa Cartel, an international crime syndicate. He was considered to be one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world.
The Black Mafia Family (BMF) is a drug trafficking and money laundering organization in the United States. It was founded in 1985, in Southwest Detroit by brothers Demetrius Edward "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry Lee "Southwest Tee" Flenory. By 2000 it had established cocaine distribution sales throughout the United States through its Los Angeles-based drug source and direct links to Mexican drug cartels. The Black Mafia Family operated from two main hubs: one in Atlanta for distribution run by Demetrius Flenory and one in Los Angeles to handle incoming shipments from Mexico run by Terry Flenory.
Francisco Javier Arellano Félix is a former Mexican drug lord who alongside his brothers founded and led the Tijuana Cartel until his capture by the United States Coast Guard on August 16, 2006.
Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía is a drug trafficker who, until his capture, was one of the leaders of the North Valley Cartel, who was wanted on drug smuggling, murder and RICO charges in the United States of America. In addition to the trafficking of cocaine, it is believed Ramírez also participated in money laundering and trafficking of heroin. Through Ramírez’ illegal enterprise, he has amassed a fortune estimated at $1.8 billion by the US Department of State. He has been cited as "... one of the most powerful and most elusive drug traffickers in Colombia" by Adam J. Szubin, Director of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Héctor Luis Palma Salazar, commonly known as "El Güero Palma", is a Mexican former drug trafficker and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel alongside Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and Ismael Zambada García. After his boss Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo ordered the brutal murder of his family, Palma set out to avenge them. Palma was arrested on June 23, 1995, and extradited to the United States, where he served a jail sentence until June 2016. He was then deported back to Mexico and charged with a double homicide for murdering two Nayarit police officers in 1995. Palma is currently incarcerated at the Altiplano Prison near Mexico City.
A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise.
Héctor Manuel Beltrán Leyva was a Mexican drug lord and leader of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel, a drug-trafficking organization. He was the brother of Arturo Beltrán Leyva (deceased), former leader of the cartel. Héctor was the second-in-command and rose to the leadership of the criminal organization after his brother's death on 16 December 2009 during a confrontation with Mexican marines.
Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, commonly referred to by his alias El Mochomo, is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former leader of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, a drug trafficking organization. He was one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords. Beltrán Leyva was responsible for smuggling multi-ton shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine to the United States from Mexico and South America between the 1990s and 2000s. He worked alongside his brothers Héctor, Carlos, and Arturo.
Benjamín Arellano Félix is a Mexican former drug lord who alongside his brothers founded and led the Tijuana Cartel or "Arellano-Félix Organization” until his arrest in March 2002.
Carlos Alberto Arellano Félix is a Mexican medical doctor who is known for his illegal involvement in money laundering for the Tijuana Cartel. Carlos was born on the 20th of August in the year 1955 in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa. Historian Paul Eiss states that Culiacán is the origin of modern drug trafficking and the home of Mexico's most powerful drug cartel. Carlos is currently working as a licensed surgeon. He finished his surgical training at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara The Tijuana Cartel is an organisation that is notorious for being one of the most well-known drug trafficking groups in Mexico to smuggle goods into the United States. Carlos’ family is made up of seven brothers and four sisters who inherited the Arellano Felix Organisation from their godfather, Miguel Ángel Félix. Despite Carlos’ involvement in money laundering for the Tijuana Cartel, he is one of two brothers who remains free and is not wanted by the United States law enforcement.
The Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, better known as the Kingpin Act, is landmark federal legislation in the United States intended to address international narcotics trafficking by imposing United States sanctions on foreign persons and entities involved in the drug trade.
Serafín Zambada Ortiz is an American convicted drug trafficker and high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal group based in Sinaloa. He is the son of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. He is married to Karime Ellameli Torres Acosta, the daughter of the late Manuel Torres Félix, another Sinaloa Cartel leader. Zambada Ortiz was active on social media, where he posted pictures of his extravagant lifestyle.
United States of America v. Joaquín Guzmán Loera was a federal criminal court case against Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, a Mexican drug lord and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzmán was extradited from Mexico to the United States in January 2017, where he pleaded not guilty to all counts against him in Brooklyn, New York. His charges included drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder. His defense asserted that he was not the organized crime leader that the prosecution claimed. The trial, often characterized as a trial of the century, began on November 5, 2018, and lasted until February 12, 2019, when the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts. He was sentenced on July 17, 2019 to a prison term of life.
Ediel López Falcón, also known as La Muela or Metro 5, is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. He was the regional boss of Miguel Alemán and helped coordinate international drug trafficking shipments from South and Central America to Mexico and the U.S. His roles in the cartel were also to coordinate oil theft operations. In 2012, he was indicted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for drug trafficking activities. After fleeing Mexico to avoid gang-related violence, López Falcón was arrested in Texas during a sting operation in 2013. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2015. He is currently imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix in New Jersey. His expected release date is in 2029.
Salvador "Sal" Magluta is a Cuban American former drug kingpin and powerboat racer who, along with his partner Willy Falcon, operated one of the most significant cocaine trafficking organizations in South Florida history. The duo became known as Los Muchachos, Spanish for "the boys".
Augusto Guillermo "Willy" Falcon is a former drug kingpin who, along with his partner Sal Magluta, operated one of the most significant cocaine trafficking organizations in South Florida history.
Dairo Antonio Úsuga David is a Colombian drug lord. Úsuga is the leader of the drug trafficking group the Gulf Clan, and is known by his nickname Otoniel. He is accused of sending dozens of shipments of cocaine to the United States, killing police officers, recruiting minors, and sexually abusing children, among other crimes. After being sought by Colombian authorities for a decade, he was captured and arrested in October 2021, and extradited to the United States in May 2022. At the time of his capture, 132 warrants for his arrest had been issued. He pled guilty in New York to charges related to his time as Gulf Clan leader and is currently serving a 45-year sentence. He also faces coordinated charges in Florida.
