The United States Treasury announced Wednesday that they have charged an extradited Colombian national and seven co-conspirators for drug-trafficking operations.
Colombian, Fernain Rodriguez and seven co-conspirators have been charged for their collaboration with Mexican drug cartels on major drug-trafficking networks between the two countries as well as into the United States. Their dealings were also reportedly protected by Colombia’s oldest rebel group, the FARC.
MORE: Santos: 156 top Colombia drug traffickers extradited to US in 2013
According to the Director of the Office for Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), Adam Szubin, “Rodriguez Vazquez and his affiliates have moved huge amounts of drugs for some of the most violent drug trafficking organisations” in Mexico such as “Los Zetas” and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Rodriguez was extradited to the US in August 2013 where he faces a life sentence, according to Caracol Radio.
As well as drug-trafficking charges, Rodriguez has been charged with the laundering of money which enabled the export of “100 tons of cocaine per year.”
The laundering money charge has led to the US freezing the assets of 5 companies operating in Colombia which, according to the authorities at the Treasury, acted as facades for the money laundering operations which subsequently aided the trafficking of the large amount of drugs.
The trafficking ring has also been proven to have “used the FARC as means to protect their cocaine laboratories and to guard the tons of drugs being delivered to members of the Zetas which would later be distributed in the United States.
Sources
- EE.UU. sanciona a colombianos ligados a carteles narcomexicanos y Farc (El Espectador)
- Estados Unidos sanciona a varios colombianos ligados a carteles de narcos mexicanos (NTN24)
- EEUU sanciona a colombianos ligados a carteles de narcos mexicanos (Terra)
- EE.UU. pide 17 colombianos en extradición (Caracol Radio)
