Jorge Roca Suarez
| Jorge Roca Suarez | |
|---|---|
| Born |
c. 1951 Bolivia |
| Nationality | Bolivian |
| Other names |
George Roca Techo de Paya ("Straw Roof") |
| Predecessor | Roberto Suárez Goméz |
| Criminal penalty | 30 years imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Spouse(s) | Cecilia Beatrice Roca Torres |
| Children | 4 children |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking and smuggling, money laundering, tax evasion, fraud |
Jorge Roca Suarez, also known as "Techo de Paya", is a Bolivian drug trafficker, best known for being the relative and successor of notorious drug lord Roberto Suárez Goméz. He is currently serving a 30-year sentence in a California prison.
Criminal career
Before working with his uncle, Suarez ran a used-car business in Los Angeles.[1] Suarez began to be involved in the drug trade by supplying cocaine to Los Pepes and laundering the drug money from Bolivia to the United States. At his prime, Suarez's net worth was estimated around $50-60 million and owned cattle ranches in Beni, a horse club, a supermarket chain and a luxury home in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.[2] Suarez led massive drug operations in Bolivia and soon became the most wanted fugitive in Bolivia after the arrest of his uncle.[3] While the family income in 1985 was $75,536.92, Suarez evaded tax incomes, which would have lowered the monetary value to $2,121,053.[4]
Arrest
On December 16, 1990, Jorge Suarez and his wife Cecilia was arrested after a DEA raid on Suarez's 19-room home in San Marino, California.[5] In trial, Suarez was convicted in Los Angeles with over 30 different charges on narcotics and drug trafficking, with 27 over charges related to money laundering, bank fraud, tax evasion and illegal exortation of monetary currency, to which he faced a life sentence in prison.[6] On December 1990, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson sentenced Suarez to 30 years in prison, while his sister, Beatriz Asunta "Chunty" Roca was sentenced to five years imprisonment for money laundering.[7] He gave his first interview to the press on May 22, 2016. In the interview, Suarez has received political and criminal law diplomas after taking courses in prison.[8] His family fortune and property in Santa Cruz has been seized.
See also
References
- ↑ http://openjurist.org/43/f3d/1480/united-states-v-roca-suarez
- ↑ http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-37423
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1990-12-15/local/me-5685_1_tax-evasion
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1990-12-15/local/me-5685_1_tax-evasion
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/16/us/bolivian-couple-seized-on-us-drug-charge.html
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1990-12-15/local/me-5685_1_tax-evasion
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1993-09-28/local/me-39865_1_drug-kingpin
- ↑ http://www.eldeber.com.bo/bolivia/jorge-roca-suarez-techo-e.html