Drug smuggler back in prison

A smuggler who flew loads of drugs for Colombian cartels during Miami’s “cocaine cowboys” era in the 1980swas sentenced to12 years in prisonMonday for using his old talents in a sophisticated auto theft ring.

U.S. District Judge Robert Scola imposed the relatively harsh sentence — more than four years higher than prosecutors recommended— because of the intricacy of the theft scheme, a total loss of about $1.8 million and because 72-year-old MickeyMunday boasted and bragged constantly for years about his cocaine smuggling past.

“All of his comments have involved braggadocio and zero remorse,” Scola said at a hearing.

Munday spent most of the 1990s in prison after pleading guilty to drug smuggling charges involving tons of cocaine fromPablo Escobar’sMedellin cartel and also the Cali cartel during the 1980s. He frequently talked about his exploits in media interviews, social media posts, and in a starring role in the 2006 documentary “Cocaine Cowboys.”

Trial evidence showed the scheme involved obtaining cars thatwere about to be repossessed by a bank or other financial institution or through purchases at dealerships by strawbuyers. Using towtruck and auto wholesale businesses as fronts, the group created a false paper trail that ended with them having clear ownership of the vehicles, which they then sold at a profit. At least 150 carswere stolen between

2008 and 2015.