DEA Snitch 'Bowling Ball' Charged with Extorting Millions from Cocaine Kingpins

In a twist that could rival a Hollywood crime drama, Jorge Hernandez, a 57-year-old former DEA informant dubbed "Bowling Ball," faces federal charges for allegedly extorting millions from cocaine traffickers. For 25 years, Hernandez aided the DEA in dismantling drug empires, but prosecutors say he flipped the script starting in 2020, posing as a paralegal to scam kingpins awaiting extradition to the U.S.

Hernandez allegedly promised traffickers from Colombia and the Dominican Republic a dream deal: top-tier legal teams and short prison sentences—sometimes even served in apartments—for those facing decades behind bars. Armed with a legitimate paralegal certification, he accessed jailed suspects during unrecorded attorney visits, spinning tales of leniency. When the promised light sentences didn’t materialize, he deflected blame to the FBI and the traffickers’ own lawyers.

The scheme was lucrative, with Hernandez allegedly pocketing $4 to $6 million in cash, vehicles, real estate, and luxury goods. He didn’t stop at bribes—prosecutors say he threatened traffickers’ families to ensure payment. In one bold move, a trafficker offered his mother’s nearly paid-off house as collateral. In another, Hernandez quipped to a suspect over a $200,000 dispute that "freedom does not have a price." Clearly, for Hernandez, it did.

Currently on federal probation for a money laundering conspiracy until May 2027, Hernandez’s fall from DEA ally to accused extortionist underscores a grim reality: even those who once fought crime can succumb to its allure.