Alleged ringleader of a transnational network involved in trafficking cocaine to the United Sates was arrested for extradition purposes

The man was on a beach in Córdoba and attempted to evade proceedings by swimming out to sea; however, he was intercepted by the Technical Investigative Corps with support from the National Army and Navy. 

Ricardo Pérez Betancur, a Colombian citizen wanted for extradition purposes for his alleged participation in the shipment of tons of cocaine hydrochloride from the Caribbean to Central American countries and the United States, was placed at the disposal of the Attorney General’s Office. 

The man was arrested in Playa Blanca, San Antero (Córdoba) by the Technical Investigative Corps (CTI), with support from units of the National Army and Navy. At the beginning, he attempted to evade proceedings by swimming out to sea, but he was eventually arrested and notified of the warrant issued against him. 

It is believed that Pérez Betancur is the leader of a transnational network involved in transporting narcotics in speedboats. The shipments left the coastal areas of Cartagena to Panama, Costa Rica, and Honduras, and from there, their transfer to the United States was coordinated. 

For these facts, the defendant is wanted by a United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on charges related to criminal conspiracy to traffic narcotics. 

The Directorate on International Affairs of the Attorney General’s Office expedited the communications to ensure the diplomatic and administrative procedures to formalize the extradition request. 

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 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.