- Marco Ugarte / AP Photo
- Federal authorities say Alfredo Vasquez-Hernandez was a coordinator for the Sinaloa cartel and its former leader, El Chapo Guzman, who was captured in February. Vasquez-Hernandez denies it.
Alfredo Vasquez-Hernandez says he was desperate when he agreed to help coordinate the shipment of 200 kilograms of cocaine from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Instead of convincing them to buy into the apartment project, Vasquez-Hernandez says the brothers talked him into helping them move the coke. Then, while he was making the arrangements, another acquaintance fronted 76 additional kilos that the Flores brothers agreed to sell on his behalf.
Citing sworn statements from the Flores twins, the feds accuse Vasquez-Hernandez of being a top operative for the Sinaloa cartel who’s known as “Alfredo Compadre.” They also say he’s a close friend of its former leader, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who was captured earlier this year by Mexican authorities.
“The planes would land at Mexico City International Airport and Chapo would then use his contacts to have the cocaine offloaded from the planes and get the cocaine out of the airport,” Margarito Flores told authorities in his statement.
And they said Vasquez-Hernandez and his wife were helping them do it by operating an importing company that served as a front for their drug business.
In June 2009, while in federal custody, Pedro Flores arranged to purchase his wife a $100,000 Bentley for her birthday, Brayman says.
