Colombia Police have arrested a British citizen for drug-trafficking and will extradite the suspect to the United States, reported local media on Thursday.
According to newspaper Elespectador, Stephen Meadows was captured on Wednesday in Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast, in a joint operation involving the Colombian police, Interpol and the FBI.
He was the captain of a fleet of boats that he allegedly used to transport drugs to the United States, by way of Honduras.
“The contraband would be received in Honduras by members of the criminal organization [of which he was a part] and would then be transported to the States,” a police statement read.
Meadows was arrested in the Cartegena airport after flying in from Panama.
“This Englishman was dedicated to transporting cocaine from the Caribbean coast toward the United States, as part of the transport network.”
“He was in charge of finding boat captains who would carry the drugs,” confirmed Interpol director Jorge Rojas.
The United States government had asked for his extradition on May 3rd, according to newspaper El Espectador. It adds that once extradited, Meadows will be tried in Tampa, Florida, on charges of drug-trafficking.
Meadows is the latest foreigner to be captured in Colombia in relation to the illegal drugs trade. In early July the man described as “the world’s most powerful drugs broker”, Italian Roberto Pannuzi, was captured in a Bogota shopping mall.
MORE: Top fugitive Italian cocaine boss nabbed in Bogota
Sources
- Capturan en Cartagena a británico pedido en extradición por EE.UU. (El Espectador)
- Capturado en Cartagena extranjero que traficaba droga (El Universal)
- Cayó extraditable en Cartagena (RCN Radio)
- Cocaine ‘broker’ Roberto Pannunzi back in jail in Italy after arrest in Colombia (Guardian)
