Will Drug Lord Do Less Time Than the Average American Nonviolent Drug Offender?
The U.S. government recently praised the arrest of Colombia’s top drug lord Diego Montoya when he was captured earlier last month. Law enforcement and military officials say it was a powerful blow to Colombia’s most powerful drug cartel, comparing it to the capture of Al Capone during Prohibition. Montoya, who had been on the FBI’s top ten most wanted list, is said to be responsible for providing as much as 70% of all the cocaine in the United States. In 1999, a $5 million bounty for his capture and extradition was offered after he was indicted in a federal court in Miami. There is much talk about how this capture will affect the drug trade and the flow of drugs into the U.S. But the question on my mind is how much time will he serve when he is brought to the United States to stand trial for the death and destruction he has caused? I would be willing to bet that he will get less time than many Americans who are now serving extraordinarily long sentences, many for low-level, nonviolent
