Colombian Extradited to the United States on Charges of Kidnapping and Assaulting US Soldiers

A Colombian national has been extradited from Chile to the United States to face charges related to kidnapping and assaulting two U.S. Army soldiers who were on temporary duty in Bogotá, according to the US Department of Justice.

According to charging documents, 47-year-old Pedro Jose Silva Ochoa, also known as Tata, of Bogotá, along with co-conspirators, targeted, incapacitated, and kidnapped two U.S. soldiers in Bogotá in order to rob them of their valuables. On the evening of March 5, 2020, the two victims went to an entertainment district in Bogotá to watch a soccer game.

Per the Department of Justice, they visited a pub, where one of Silva Ochoa’s co-conspirators incapacitated the two victims by putting drugs, including benzodiazepines, in their drinks. Silva Ochoa’s co-conspirators then escorted the victims into a waiting car driven by Silva Ochoa, kidnapped them, and took their wallets, debit cards, credit cards, and cell phones. Silva Ochoa and his co-conspirators used one victim’s credit card and the other victim’s debit card to make purchases and withdraw money. The two victims lost consciousness until the following day, by which point they had been separated.

Silva Ochoa is charged with kidnapping an internationally protected person, conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person, assaulting an internationally protected person, and conspiracy to assault an internationally protected person. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

READ MORE: 3 Colombians Charged with Drugging and Attempting to Rob U.S. Soldiers

One of Silva Ochoa’s co-defendants, Jeffersson Arango Castellanos, was extradited from Colombia to the United States in April 2023 and pleaded guilty in January to the charges outlined in the indictment.

The FBI is investigating the case and escorted Silva Ochoa from Chile to the United States, where he has already made his initial court appearance in Miami.