In October this year, Interpol scored a massive win in the war on drugs, securing a conviction against the Toros Cartel for drug smuggling, despite the fact that they no longer actually smuggle drugs. As the sentencing hearing winds down, it seems the Cartel has seen the writing on the wall and is on the hunt for clemency.

In a surprise move, the Cartel’s legal team, headed by noted defense attorney, Lincoln Collins of Collins, Beaufort, and Associates in Chicago, put forward a motion in mitigation of sentencing. The motion stated the “willingness of the defendants” to share “proprietary trade secrets about the formulation and production of personalized medicinal narcotics with relevant pharmaceutical companies.” The motion was submitted to the presiding judge, Judge Rupert J. Graves, during the closing of the defense’s presentation at the sentencing hearing yesterday.

Prior to the convictions earlier this year, the Toros Cartel had been making big waves in the party drug scene for several years with their highly customized and personalized variations of several designer drugs. Customers could customize their orders by providing DNA or blood samples (often via reputable channels, such as pathology and ancestry labs). The Cartel’s chemists then tweaked the drug’s formula accordingly and the personalized party drugs were then 3D-printed at one of thousands of satellite ‘print shops’ close to the purchaser. This approach ensured the drugs never crossed international or State borders in the hands of the Cartel’s people, which is – in part – how they evaded prosecution for so long.

Judge Graves has called for a three-week recess, coinciding with the holiday season, during which time he will “deliberate on the defendants’ motion and consult with experts from pharma to determine the value of the offer.”

We expect to hear the judge’s decision when sentencing resumes on 2 January but based on the success of the Cartel’s custom narcotics, it’s likely this seemingly altruistic move will indeed have an impact on the sentences Judge Graves hands down. Although, whether the impact is positive or negative will depend on whether you are sitting on one side of the courtroom, or the other.