San Diego
Lieselotte E. (Auntie) Esser, 45, extradited from Colombia in connection with a 1984 drug-smuggling indictment, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to seven counts of various narcotics offenses and other crimes, the U.S. attorney’s office reported. Assistant U.S. Atty. Edward C. Weiner said Esser, a German citizen who lived in Cali, Colombia, for 15 years, is alleged to have to have been a “chief lieutenant” in a drug-smuggling operation headed by Josef Kolek. The indictment alleges that she assisted in procuring cocaine and marijuana from Colombia and other countries. She is one of 14 people indicted.
Kolek pleaded guilty March 11 to “continuing criminal enterprise” charges and is currently serving a 10-year sentence.
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