Álvaro Córdoba, brother of the late Colombian politician Piedad Córdoba, was sentenced on the morning of Friday, April 26, by the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York to 14 years in prison in the United States for links to drug trafficking. In addition to the 14-year prison sentence, he was also sentenced to four years of supervised release.
In the first versions delivered, it was revealed that the prosecution requested a minimum of 17 years in prison, while Córdoba’s defense requested 5 years. Córdoba Ruíz, currently 65 years old, was extradited in 2023, and in January of this year he had pleaded guilty to the facts.
Now you can follow us on our WhatsApp Channel and in Facebook.
The federal prosecutor in the case, Damian Williams, commented that the sentence demonstrates the Office’s commitment 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 American streets with drugs will face serious consequences, “especially when they associate with violent drug trafficking organizations such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).”
In the court documents and statements made, it was concluded that Córdoba conspired with several people and individuals associated with the FARC to obtain and distribute tons of cocaine destined for the North American country.
“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 actually confidential sources working under the direction of the DEA,” say the documents revealed by Time.
According to the information collected by the authorities, it was established that Córdoba would have helped with the drug trafficking business through its political and logistical connections from Colombian territory.
After he pleaded guilty on January 2 to the crime of drug trafficking, the United States Government filed a proposed conviction against the defendant.
According to documents revealed by RCN news and NTN24Initially, the authorities asked the judge for a sentence of 21 years in prison or, failing that, a sentence of no less than 17 years.
Piedad Córdoba’s brother was captured in Medellín, on February 2, 2022, in the middle of an anti-drug operation, where it is presumed that he was negotiating with dissidents from the Gentil Duarte structure of the Farc. A year later he was extradited.
At the indictment hearing, he accepted having participated in the shipment of a shipment of cocaine to New York City, even confessing that he was aware of having acted against the law.
“Between July 2021 and February 2022, I participated in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine that were going to be sent to the United States and I knew that what I was doing was wrong,” Córdoba said in the proceedings. judicial.
When Álvaro Córdoba arrived in the United States to face his judicial process, the justice system of this country ended up dismissing two charges on which he was also accused related to the possession of machine guns and destructive devices.
Since his arrest, Álvaro Córdoba tried to avoid his extradition, but the legal appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court of Justice.
In addition, there were public statements by Piedad Córdoba, who in life firmly maintained her brother’s innocence.
“The US justice system dismisses two charges against my brother Álvaro. Many have already condemned him, I tell you, he is innocent and he will return sooner than you think (sic),” Piedad Córdoba then commented, through her account on the social network X.
On other occasions, she assured that neither she nor her brother had any relationship with illegal armed groups, which is why she asked for an end to what she described as political persecution against them.
“Enough of political persecution against me and my family. Neither my brother Álvaro Córdoba nor I have any relationship with drug trafficking or armed groups. I challenge that the evidence that supports this new judicial setup be shown. At the Truth Commission I already denounced the successive unclarified frame-ups against me. This new aggression due to my return to politics is not going to intimidate me like the previous ones have not,” said Piedad Córdoba in 2022.
