The Nation - News from Sept. 8, 1986

A man authorities consider one of Colombia’s biggest drug kingpins was convicted in Ocala, Fla., of cocaine trafficking in a case that began with seizure of a plane carrying 1,267 pounds of the drug. Jose Cabrera-Sarmiento, 55, a Colombian national extradited from that country for trial, faces up to 30 years in state prison. No sentencing date has been set. “We are alleging Mr. Sarmiento is, if not the biggest, among the biggest cocaine traffickers in Colombia,” said Fred Schneyer, spokesman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. His stature in the Colombian drug hierarchy forced authorities to take extra precautions during his trial, Schneyer said. He was flown by helicopter from the Marion County jail to the courthouse under the supervision of a SWAT team.