Alleged drug kingpin reaches plea deal


DENVER (AP) -- An alleged drug kingpin extradited from Mexico to the United States in March has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors.

Details of the plea agreement between Oscar Arriola Marquez and the U.S. Attorney's Office will not be released until a hearing scheduled for Feb. 9.

Arriola Marquez and his brother, Miguel, were indicted in 2003 on accusations that they used a remote Colorado ranch house as a holding place for hundreds of pounds of cocaine headed to large U.S. cities.

Prosecutors say the investigation netted more than 2.5 tons of cocaine and more than $10 million in cash, including nearly $4 million seized during traffic stops in Texas, New York and Colorado.

Miguel Arriola Marquez is serving a 20 year federal prison sentence.


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