Cocaine Trafficker Gets 15-Year State Prison Term

A third defendant has pleaded guilty to felony drug-trafficking charges and been sentenced in the aftermath of Orange County’s second-largest cocaine bust.

Superior Court Judge Theodore E. Millard sentenced Juan Carlos Marteloto, 35, a Colombian citizen, to 15 years in state prison Tuesday.

Orange County Regional Narcotics Suppression Program officers seized more than two tons of cocaine in three raids in the case.

Marteloto, a resident of Anaheim, was arrested March 7, 1990, after a six-month investigation that resulted in the seizure of more than 4,400 pounds of cocaine, $20,000 in cash and eight vehicles.

The largest cocaine seizure in the county’s history occurred Feb. 3 when about 4,700 pounds of the drug were found in a Fullerton warehouse.

Marteloto pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport cocaine, two counts of transporting cocaine and one count of possession for sale of cocaine.

The other two defendants in the case were Colombian cousins Elias Figueroa Boresoff, 49, and John Boresoff, 29. John Boresoff has been sentenced to 14 years. Elias Boresoff, who investigators said may have ties to the Cali drug cartel, a rival of the Medellin cartel, will be sentenced April 8.

Two other suspects in the case, Jorge Bustamente, 40, and Adolfo Gallego, 28, both of Bayside, N.Y., are still at large. “The facts against them were devastating,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Vickie Hix. “They were caught red-handed with a lot of cocaine.”

Scott Furstman, Marteloto’s attorney, said his client pleaded guilty to reduce the length of his sentence, which could have been more than 21 years if he had been convicted by a jury. Despite the plea, Furstman said Marteloto did not waive his right to appeal based on the judge’s refusal to suppress certain evidence.

“The real fight remains, in the appellate courts,” he said.