Stephen J. Green was an American cocaine trafficker and a central figure associated with The Fraternity, a California-based cocaine trafficking network active during the 1970s and early 1980s. Operating primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area, Green developed relationships with American distributors and Colombian cocaine suppliers, contributing to the expansion of the network's international operations.
Green's activities and those of The Fraternity became the subject of an extensive federal investigation and a five-part investigative series published by the San Francisco Examiner in November 1982. The investigation documented the network's development from small-scale drug dealing into an international cocaine trafficking operation.
Following his arrest in August 1980 and subsequent conviction, Green cooperated with federal prosecutors. His testimony contributed to investigations and criminal proceedings involving former associates and members of his extended family.
Early life and background
Green grew up in Lafayette, California, a suburb in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area. According to Phil Bronstein's 1982 investigation, Green came from a relatively affluent suburban background and became involved in the counterculture and recreational drug scene during the late 1960s.
His early involvement in drug dealing included marijuana and LSD. By the early 1970s, he had begun distributing cocaine, which was becoming increasingly popular among affluent consumers in Northern California.
Green's early business relied heavily on personal friendships and acquaintances. These relationships eventually developed into a network of distributors, couriers and suppliers.
Drug trafficking activities
Early Colombian connections
During the early 1970s, Green traveled to Colombia, where he established relationships with cocaine suppliers.
Among his earliest reported contacts was Louie DeDeaux, a cocaine dealer based in Cali, Colombia. According to Green's testimony as reported by the San Francisco Examiner, Green purchased cocaine from DeDeaux during the formative period of his trafficking activities.
Green subsequently conducted additional transactions with DeDeaux. Their relationship preceded the larger supply and distribution partnerships that developed later in the decade.
These early transactions helped Green establish connections with Colombian suppliers while developing his California distribution business.
Relationship with the Gomez family
During his visits to Colombia, Green became acquainted with José Robert Gomez-Soto, commonly known as Robert Gomez, an American businessman with commercial interests and family connections in Colombia.
Green subsequently married Gomez's daughter, Shelly Gomez, becoming part of the Gomez family.
Another Gomez daughter, Linda, married Enrique "Kiki" Otoya, a Colombian associate involved in cocaine supply and transportation.
The marriages connected Green's California distribution activities with a wider family network involving Colombian suppliers and commercial enterprises.
Expansion of the trafficking network
By 1977, Green's business had expanded considerably.
Working with Gomez, Otoya and other associates, Green participated in the importation and distribution of increasingly large cocaine shipments through The Fraternity.
The operation employed several methods of transportation and concealment, including commercial cargo shipments and specially modified containers.
One of the most significant shipments documented in the Examiner investigation occurred in 1978, when approximately 112 pounds (51 kilograms) of cocaine were concealed inside hollow wooden posts shipped from Colombia.
The cocaine was subsequently distributed through Green's network in Northern California.
The Examiner estimated that the wider operation handled approximately 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) of cocaine between 1977 and 1980, with an estimated wholesale value of $20million and a potential retail value of $100million.
Personal wealth and lifestyle
Green's cocaine business generated substantial income during the late 1970s.
According to the Examiner, he acquired expensive vehicles, property and other luxury goods while maintaining an active social life.
The investigation described a network in which drug transactions and social relationships frequently overlapped. Several of Green's distributors were longtime friends, acquaintances or relatives by marriage.
Personal life
Marriage to Shelly Gomez
Green married Shelly Gomez, daughter of José Robert Gomez-Soto and Pat Gomez. The marriage connected Green to the Gomez family, whose relationships with Colombian business associates became important to the wider cocaine distribution network.
Shelly's sister, Linda Gomez, married Enrique "Kiki" Otoya, who was associated with cocaine supply and transportation from Colombia.
The two marriages created family connections among Green, Gomez and Otoya, three central figures identified in the San Francisco Examiner investigation.
The investigation involved information supplied by Bobby Joe Smith, a cocaine dealer who had begun cooperating with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Federal investigators subsequently searched Green's residence and obtained cocaine, currency and records associated with drug transactions.
Conviction and cooperation
Green was convicted of cocaine-related offenses in 1981.
Following his conviction, he agreed to cooperate with federal authorities and provided information about the organization, its Colombian suppliers, financial arrangements and California distributors.
His testimony implicated former friends, business associates and relatives by marriage.
The resulting investigations contributed to the prosecution of several individuals associated with The Fraternity.
Proceedings involving Robert Gomez
One of the most significant defendants associated with Green's network was his father-in-law, José Robert Gomez-Soto.
Gomez-Soto was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and three counts of income tax evasion.
The appellate decision discussed searches of Gomez-Soto's residence and financial records, including evidence concerning Colombian commercial enterprises used to conceal cocaine shipments.
Alleged murder conspiracy
In September 1982, federal authorities charged José Robert Gomez-Soto and his son Peter with conspiring to murder Green and several officials associated with the federal investigation.
According to contemporary reporting by United Press International, the alleged targets included federal judge Robert P. Aguilar, prosecutor William Farmer, DEA agent Lowrey Leong and Internal Revenue Service investigators.
Gomez-Soto's attorney disputed the allegations and questioned the government's motives for bringing the charges.
Stephen J. Green was a central figure in The Fraternity, an international cocaine trafficking network based primarily in Northern California during the 1970s.
The organization developed through Green's relationships with American distributors, Colombian suppliers and members of the Gomez family.
Among the individuals associated with the network were José Robert Gomez-Soto, Enrique "Kiki" Otoya, Louie DeDeaux, Robin Rohrer, Joe McCarty and Brad Sinclair.
Green played a central role in arranging cocaine purchases, coordinating shipments and distributing cocaine to dealers throughout Northern California.
During the late 1970s, The Fraternity expanded into a substantial international trafficking operation, obtaining cocaine primarily from Colombia and distributing it through networks in the United States.
Green's arrest in August 1980 and his subsequent cooperation with federal prosecutors contributed to the organization's collapse. His testimony provided investigators with information concerning The Fraternity's suppliers, financial arrangements, transportation methods and participants.
The organization's history was documented in The Cocaine Fraternity, a five-part investigative series published by journalist Phil Bronstein in the San Francisco Examiner in November 1982.
Media coverage
The Cocaine Fraternity investigation
In November 1982, journalist Phil Bronstein published a five-part investigative series in the San Francisco Examiner entitled The Cocaine Fraternity.
The series traced Green's activities from his early involvement in drug dealing through his Colombian supply relationships, expansion of his distribution business, arrest and cooperation with federal authorities.
According to the newspaper, Bronstein spent approximately six weeks researching the series. His reporting drew upon court filings, testimony, financial records, personal correspondence and interviews with more than 70 individuals associated with the investigation.
The series was published between November 15 and November 19, 1982.
