The containers were modified, loaded in a warehouse near the maritime terminal, and returned to coordinate their shipment to international destinations.
The Office of the Attorney General, through the Directorate specialized in the fight against Drug Trafficking, brought Rafael José De La Cruz Álvarez, alias Luxury, and Jaime Llerena Gutiérrez, alias El Gordo, before a judge. Both are alleged members of a criminal network accused of altering refrigerated containers to load them with cocaine hydrochloride and ensuring their departure through the port of Barranquilla (Atlántico) for Spain and the Netherlands.
Both were charged with the aggravated trafficking, manufacturing, or possession of narcotics, and must serve a prison sentence. They did not plead guilty to the charge.
According to the evidence, the containers were taken to properties located outside the port, modified to adapt hidden compartments in which the illegal organization concealed various quantities of cocaine, and later returned to the maritime terminal to coordinate their departure to Europe.
In this regard, ‘Luxury’ would be responsible for the entire logistical process and acted as the manager of a warehouse used to carry out the contamination process of the containers. Security camera records show him permanently at that place. Meanwhile, ‘El Gordo’ would be involved in the transportation of the containers.
During the investigation, 365 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride were seized from this structure in two procedures carried out in Málaga (Spain) and Rotterdam (Netherlands).
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.