Mar.27, 2010, 19:24

Vicente Esteves was the drug overlord whose empire was brought down by "Operation Unbounded" formed by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 2008.

Thursday, Esteves pleaded guilty in Superior Court to drug trafficking and money laundering charges stemming from his June 2008 arrest.

Investigators accused Esteves, 37, of operating the international narcotics and money laundering organization that funneled as much as 1,000 kilos of cocaine a week into New Jersey and other states from countries, including Colombia and Mexico using two corporations Esteves owned in order to launder the financial proceeds from the drug sales.

The $1 million a week cocaine ring operated from his multi-million dollar gated estate in Manalapan.

"Operation Unbounded" netted several arrests, including that of Esteves' wife Chantal.

The plea agreement Esteves took will send him to prison for 25-year prison with 12 1/2 years of parole ineligibility.