This Friday, the Court for the Southern District of New York, United States, sentenced Álvaro Fredy Córdoba Ruíz, brother of former congresswoman Piedad Córdoba, to 14 years in prison on drug trafficking charges.
Córdoba Ruíz, who is now 65 years old, was extradited in 2023, and in January of this year he had pleaded guilty to the facts.
The US Prosecutor’s Office had requested a sentence of between 210 and 260 months in prison, and Córdoba’s defense requested only 5 years. Finally, Judge Lewis J. Liman sentenced him to 14 years in prison.
In addition to the prison sentence, he was also sentenced to four years of supervised release.
The news of the conviction was announced by federal prosecutor Damian Williams, who said: “Today’s sentence demonstrates the commitment of this Office to prosecute drug traffickers like Córdoba Ruíz, who seek to import tons of cocaine into the United States.”
He added that those who seek to flood US streets with drugs will face serious consequences, “especially when they associate with violent drug trafficking organizations such as the FARC.”
According to court documents and statements made during the process, Córdoba conspired with several people and individuals associated with the FARC to obtain and distribute tons of cocaine destined for the United States.
One of those people was Amanda Libia Palacio Mena, who just two weeks ago, on April 11, was also sentenced in the US to 14 years in prison for this same case. Alberto Alonso Jaramillo Ramírez was also accused of the events.
“Córdoba Ruíz negotiated with individuals he believed to be drug traffickers from a Mexican drug trafficking organization (DTO) seeking to establish a cocaine supply line from Venezuela to the United States. These individuals, however, were in fact confidential sources working under the direction of the DEA,” the documents say.
Likewise, it is cited that in communications recorded during the investigation, Córdoba agreed to help with the drug trafficking business “through his political and logistical connections in Colombia.”
In fact, in the sentencing memorandum of the North American Prosecutor’s Office, a document prepared by prosecutor Williams, it is said that Córdoba “described his connections with his sister, a powerful politician in Colombia named Piedad Córdoba, indicating that, in exchange for financial support and political, she would help facilitate a cocaine association between the defendants and the Mexican DTO.”
According to the North American justice system, shortly after meeting with the undercover sources, Córdoba “complied on both fronts: he introduced them to Piedad Córdoba and Jaramillo, a former police officer who had worked for the Colombian anti-narcotics department and could help the defendants in their drug trafficking.” cocaine. Together, the defendants then obtained a sample of five kilograms of high-quality cocaine for the Mexican DTO, with promises of many more tons to come: the association aimed to transport 500 kilograms of cocaine at least weekly.”
Precisely, in December 2021, “to demonstrate its good faith and establish the quality of its supply, Córdoba Ruíz sold to undercover sources a sample of 5 kilos of cocaine that contained a high level of purity”, that drug would have been obtained from A plantation associated with the FARC “on the outskirts of Medellín” was exposed this Friday after the sentence was announced.
It should be remembered that Álvaro Córdoba was arrested in Colombia in February 2022, just when he was negotiating a much larger shipment with who he thought were Mexican drug traffickers; the agreement sought the shipment of approximately 500 kilos of cocaine per week.
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