The arrested people, who were allegedly part of a criminal network, are wanted by a Federal Court of Puerto Rico. 

After several months of investigation, the Delegate Office against Organized Crime, within the framework of the cooperation agreement between the Office of the Attorney General and the U.S. Marshals of the Department of Justice arrested 3 people for extradition purposes who allegedly shipped drugs to Puerto Rico by sea. 

A United States District court for the District of Puerto Rico requested their arrest in September 2019 in order to face charges for the crimes of conspiracy to commit a crime and drug trafficking in that State. 

In October 2014, a shipment of 227 kilos of cocaine was seized by the US Coast Guard, which allowed the identification of the criminal network. It was established that boats loaded with cocaine departed from ports on the Colombian Atlantic Coast and in the high seas the merchandise was handed over to other vessels that transported it to ports in North America 

The arrests were conducted in Bogotá and Barranquilla between last November 27th and this December 11th. The detainees who were allegedly part of the criminal structure are:  

  • Gustavo Barbosa Rodríguez, alleged leader of the criminal network and the alleged owner of the cocaine that was seized. 
  • José Elver Serrano, the person allegedly in charge of the logistics. 
  • Eduardo Paterson Manuel, captain of the boat that allegedly transported the 227 kilos of coca to Puerto Rico, after the exchange at sea. These people were placed under the authority of the Office of International Affairs – Office of the Attorney General while the administrative and diplomatic processes to carry out their extradition are carried out. 
 

The international cooperation against transnational crimes that affect public health, as well as disrupting the illicit income of criminal organizations, are a priority for the 2020-2024 Strategic Direction established by Attorney General, Francisco Barbosa Delgado. 

The Office of the Attorney General makes this information public for reasons of general interest. 

The information contained in this press release corresponds to the narration of the objective news provided by the officials in charge of carrying out the criminal investigations within the Office of the Attorney General. By the time this communication is disclosed, the legal status of the people mentioned is still pending to be resolved by the competent judicial authority, always under the presumption of innocence contemplated by Article 29 of the Political Constitution and Article 7 of Law 906 of 2004.