George Enrique Herbert
Encyclopedia
George Enrique Herbert is a Belizean
gang leader and drug trafficker who worked with Mexican
and Colombian
drug cartels to distribute controlled drugs in Belize and the United States
. He was convicted by a jury in Manhattan
federal court on December 14, 2004 on multiple cocaine
importation charges. He is married and has one child.
charged Herbert with conspiring with others to import tons of cocaine into the United States
between March 2001 and August 2002, and with three separate instances of shipping cocaine from the waters off Belize
to Mexico, with the intent or knowledge that the drugs would be transported to the United States.
According to the evidence at trial, Herbert was enlisted in March 2001 by a corrupt Belizean government official working with the Mexican Juarez Cartel
to assist in the smuggling of ton-quantities of cocaine from the Atlantic coast of Colombia to Calderitas, Mexico. Herbert, assisted by armed members of a Belize City
street gang, the "George Street Crew," received the one-ton-plus cocaine shipments in the waters off Belize from speedboats dispatched by high-level cocaine supplier Mauricio Ruda-Alvarez. Herbert and his associates then transported the shipments through the reefs and small islands off Belize to the port of Calderitas, Mexico. in Calderitas, Juarez Cartel operatives, assisted by corrupt Mexican police, took custody of the cocaine and shipped it to the US.
also found that Herbert used firearms in furtherance of the narcotics crimes, and that he managed and supervised other offenses. Each of the four counts of conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Jorge Manuel Torres Teyer and Victor Manuel Adan Carrasco, leaders of the Juarez Cartel in Belize and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo
, with whom Herbert conspired, pled guilty in Manhattan federal court in 2003, and were sentenced in May 2004. Mauricio Ruda-Alvarez, the Colombian cocaine supplier, was found murdered in the trunk of a car in Medellín
in October 2002. The evidence at trial established that two months prior, in August 2002, Ruda-Alvarez has commissioned a failed attempt to kidnap Herbert over a shipment of cocaine Herbert had stolen.
Belizean
Belizean may refer to:* Something of, or related to Belize* A person from Belize, or of Belizean descent. For information about the Belizean people, see Demographics of Belize and Culture of Belize. For specific Belizeans, see List of Belizeans....
gang leader and drug trafficker who worked with Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
and Colombian
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
drug cartels to distribute controlled drugs in Belize and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was convicted by a jury in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
federal court on December 14, 2004 on multiple cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
importation charges. He is married and has one child.
Background and Trial
The four-count indictmentIndictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
charged Herbert with conspiring with others to import tons of cocaine into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
between March 2001 and August 2002, and with three separate instances of shipping cocaine from the waters off Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
to Mexico, with the intent or knowledge that the drugs would be transported to the United States.
According to the evidence at trial, Herbert was enlisted in March 2001 by a corrupt Belizean government official working with the Mexican Juarez Cartel
Juárez Cartel
The Juárez Cartel , also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas...
to assist in the smuggling of ton-quantities of cocaine from the Atlantic coast of Colombia to Calderitas, Mexico. Herbert, assisted by armed members of a Belize City
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
street gang, the "George Street Crew," received the one-ton-plus cocaine shipments in the waters off Belize from speedboats dispatched by high-level cocaine supplier Mauricio Ruda-Alvarez. Herbert and his associates then transported the shipments through the reefs and small islands off Belize to the port of Calderitas, Mexico. in Calderitas, Juarez Cartel operatives, assisted by corrupt Mexican police, took custody of the cocaine and shipped it to the US.
Conviction
The jury convicted Herbert of all four counts of the indictment. The juryJury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
also found that Herbert used firearms in furtherance of the narcotics crimes, and that he managed and supervised other offenses. Each of the four counts of conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Jorge Manuel Torres Teyer and Victor Manuel Adan Carrasco, leaders of the Juarez Cartel in Belize and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, with whom Herbert conspired, pled guilty in Manhattan federal court in 2003, and were sentenced in May 2004. Mauricio Ruda-Alvarez, the Colombian cocaine supplier, was found murdered in the trunk of a car in Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
in October 2002. The evidence at trial established that two months prior, in August 2002, Ruda-Alvarez has commissioned a failed attempt to kidnap Herbert over a shipment of cocaine Herbert had stolen.