Jose Santacruz Londono

Jose Santacruz Londono was a key figure in the Cali Drug Cartel, a powerful Colombian drug trafficking organization that, by 1994, controlled a significant portion of the world's cocaine trade. He was often mentioned alongside Gilberto Rodriguez as a leader of the cartel.[1]

Londono was a target of a major DEA Centac investigation, which led to his indictment in Los Angeles and New York in 1978. However, these cases reportedly did not progress beyond the indictment phase, and the Centac 21 task force was dismantled during the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, leading to suspicions among disgruntled DEA agents of a CIA connection.[1]

His name surfaced in connection with Michael Riconosciuto's claims that Robert Booth Nichols paid Michael Abbell to "crowbar" the extradition of Londono and Gilberto Rodriguez, as they were considered "intelligence people."[1]

Londono's activities were also part of the broader "The Octopus" investigation conducted by Danny Casolaro, which sought to expose the interconnectedness of organized crime, drug trafficking, and intelligence operations.[1]

[1] Seymour, Cheri. The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.