Salvador "Sal" Magluta is a

Cuban American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or t ...

former

drug kingpin A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin or narcotrafficker is a high-ranking crime boss who controls a sizable network of people involved in the illegal drug trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they are normally not directly ...

and powerboat racer who, along with his partner

Willy Falcon Augusto Guillermo "Willy" Falcon is a former drug kingpin who, along with his partner Sal Magluta, operated one of the most significant cocaine trafficking organizations in South Florida history. Biography Speedboat racing Falcon was a speedbo ...

, operated one of the most significant cocaine trafficking organizations in

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

history. The duo became known as ''Los Muchachos'', Spanish for "the boys".

Biography

Early life

Salvador Magluta was born into a

Jewish Cuban Jewish Cubans, Cuban Jews, or Cubans of Jewish heritage, have lived in the nation of Cuba for centuries. Some Cubans trace Jewish ancestry to '' Marranos'' (forced converts to Christianity) who came as colonists, though few of these practice Judai ...

family who owned a bakery in the

Little Havana Little Havana ( es, Pequeña Habana) is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban exiles, as well as many immigrants from Central and South America, Little Havana is named after Havana, the Capital (political), capita ...

neighborhood of

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Florida. He and

both dropped out of

Miami Senior High School Miami Senior High School, also known as Miami High School, is a public high school located at 2450 SW 1st Street in Miami, Florida, and operated by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Founded in 1903, it is one of the oldest high school in Miami- ...

, where they were small-time marijuana dealers before becoming involved in the burgeoning cocaine trade.

1996 trial

Magluta, along with his partner Falcon, was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 1991 for a plethora of drug trafficking crimes, including operating a continuing criminal enterprise accused of importing and distributing over 75 tons of cocaine. Magluta was represented by Roy Black, Martin Weinberg, and Richard Martinez who was Magluta's brother in law. His partner Falcon was represented by

Albert Krieger Albert Joseph "Al" Krieger (November 4, 1923 – May 14, 2020) was an American criminal defense lawyer, most prominently for figures in organized crime and drug trafficking, as well as for a number of Oglala Lakota activists during criminal pro ...

, Susan Van Dusen, and D. Robert "Bobby" Wells. Both Magluta and Falcon were found not guilty after a lengthy trial before Judge

Federico Moreno Federico A. Moreno (born April 10, 1952) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Early life and education Moreno was born in Caracas, Venezuela, the son of Francis ...

Falsifying documents

In 1997, Magluta was sentenced to 9 years for falsifying documents and jumping bail.

Juror bribery

Following the 1996 trial, the United States Attorney's Office directed an investigation into Magluta and Falcon's finances that ultimately revealed that members of their jury - including the jury foreman - had been bribed. Magluta, Falcon, several of the jurors, their associates and even some of their lawyers were ultimately charged with various criminal offenses arising from the conduct. In 2003, Magluta's father and son pled guilty to stashing illegal drug money which was used to bribe jurors and intimidate witnesses. In 2002, Magluta was tried for bribing jurors, money laundering and obstruction of justice including killing witnesses. He was found guilty on 12 of the 39 counts against him.

Sentencing and imprisonment

Magluta was eventually sentenced to 205 years in federal prison. His sentence was later reduced to 195 years on appeal. He was initially transferred to the supermax federal prison facility in Florence, Colorado. Magluta was later represented by Paul Petruzzi and Richard Klugh and sought a new trial claiming over 40 legal violations.

In popular culture

Magluta and his partner Falcon are the subjects of the 2021 documentary '' Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magluta, Sal 20th-century criminals Living people Cuban gangsters Hispanic and Latino American gangsters Jewish American gangsters American crime bosses Cuban drug traffickers Cuban Jews People convicted of money laundering People from Miami Criminals from Florida Cuban emigrants to the United States Cuban prisoners and detainees Inmates of ADX Florence 21st-century American Jews 1954 births