Colombia’s National Police extradited five Colombian nationals to the United States on August 6, 2026, handing them over to US federal authorities in connection with investigations into drug trafficking, money laundering and transnational organized crime.

The five men were delivered by officers from the Dirección de Investigación Criminal e Interpol (DIJIN) and transported under security escort on a flight accompanied by the US Marshals Service. The extraditions followed requests from US courts and investigations involving alleged cocaine trafficking, financial operations and international arms networks.

“This extradition represents a decisive blow against networks involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and crimes against collective security operating in the region.” – Policía Nacional de Colombia

Alleged arms-for-cocaine network

Among those extradited was Wilmar Cortés Hurtado, who is wanted by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on drug trafficking and criminal conspiracy charges.

Wisam Nagib Kherfan Okde and Alirio Rafael Quintero Quintero were also handed over to US authorities. Colombian investigators accuse the pair of leading a criminal organization involved in money laundering and international arms trafficking.

According to the Colombian government, investigators allege that the organization used connections with members of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria to divert military weapons. Those weapons were allegedly subsequently routed to structures of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) in exchange for cocaine shipments between 2024 and 2025.

The investigation also alleges that cryptocurrency and complex financial transactions in countries such as Ghana and Morocco were used to facilitate money laundering connected to drug trafficking organizations and terrorist groups.

The allegations have not been established as findings of guilt, and the defendants will face proceedings in the United States.

Cocaine trafficking and international routes

Helmer Hurtado Hurtado, also wanted by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, was extradited on drug trafficking and criminal conspiracy charges connected to an international narcotics investigation.

Jacob Estenyer Jory Salazar was also among the five. Colombian authorities allege that he coordinated cocaine shipments destined for the United States and Mexico using multiple transportation methods, including speedboats, container vessels, semi-submersible vessels and aircraft.

Seven additional extraditions

The August 6 handover followed the extradition of seven other individuals to the United States and Panama during the previous week.

Six Colombian nationals were delivered to US authorities. They included Jheison Rodríguez López and Edilberto López Farelo, who were initially taken to the Unidad de Reacción Inmediata in Valledupar after their capture. Colombian authorities said the two attempted to escape from the facility but were immediately recaptured.

Eufrosino Ramos Díaz was captured during a raid at his residence and faces extradition proceedings in the United States on a charge involving a conspiracy to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine.

Daniel Alfonso de la Rosa Robles and Pedro Lucas Robles Iguarán were identified by Colombian authorities as alleged members of a trafficking network that obtained narcotics from clandestine laboratories in the Catatumbo region and Alta Guajira. Investigators allege that the pair coordinated maritime shipments using speedboats to move cocaine toward Central America and the Caribbean, with the United States as the final destination.

Nilson Snyder Vásquez Duarte, known as “El Sobri,” was identified as an alleged financial operator responsible for receiving and managing large sums of money generated by drug trafficking organizations, with alleged connections to Colombian and Mexican cartels.

The seventh person extradited during the previous week was Panamanian national Jorge Antonio Zurita Julian, known as “El Gordo Pibe,” who was handed over to Panamanian authorities. He is wanted in Panama on money laundering and crimes against collective security charges related to drug trafficking. Colombian investigators allege that he used a company registered in his wife’s name to disguise illicit funds as legitimate business proceeds.

The extraditions form part of Colombia’s continuing cooperation with foreign authorities through DIJIN and Interpol. The individuals remain subject to judicial proceedings in the requesting countries, and the allegations described by Colombian authorities have not resulted in final convictions.

Headline photo: Five men being escorted to board on the plane extraditing them to the US. (Photo by the Colombian National Police)

The Childhood and Adolescence Police documented over 900 cases of minors in recurring begging during the investigation. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

The operation, named ‘The Hidden Face of Charity,’ was carried out by Colombian authorities in the city’s Calle 10 area in Poblado and the neighborhoods of Carpinelo, Santa Cruz, and Boston. The detained individuals include both Colombian and Venezuelan nationals.

Authorities launched ‘The Hidden Face of Charity’ operation in Medellín’s Calle 10, Carpinelo, Santa Cruz, and Boston neighborhoods. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

According to a statement from Medellín’s Secretary of Security and Coexistence, the network allegedly used babies as young as one month old and children up to five years of age to solicit money and goods. The operation targeted high-traffic tourist areas, including Parque Lleras and Provenza in El Poblado, where members of the network would approach foreigners to ask for essential items such as milk, diapers, medicine, and food, in addition to cash.

“What they did was exploit girls and boys, even newborns, whom, in many cases, their own mothers handed over to women of Venezuelan nationality to be used in begging activities. They changed their clothes to simulate conditions of greater vulnerability and then approached them, especially tourists, generating pity to receive aid in diapers and milk, which were later sold in the city center,” said Mayor Federico “Fico” Gutiérrez. “None of those resources were actually intended for the children. It was all part of a network set up for economic gain, exploiting minors and deceiving those who, in good faith, believed they were helping.”

The operation targeted tourist spots in El Poblado where the network solicited milk, diapers, medicine, food, and cash from foreigners. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

The investigation, which was a joint effort involving the Fiscalía General de la Nación (Prosecutor General’s Office) and the National Police of Colombia, found that the donated and collected goods were later resold. The network’s activities generated an estimated $180 million Colombian COP (approximately $45,000 USD) per month in revenue from both cash and the resale of products.

The mayor explained that, according to the evidence gathered, it was found, for example, that foreigners bought a case of milk for $250,000 (about $60 USD) at a pharmacy, and the criminals resold it for a lower price elsewhere in the city. Indigenous people were given a commission for allowing their children to be used.

The investigation was a joint effort by Colombia’s Fiscalía General de la Nación and National Police. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

Investigators utilized undercover agents, telephone interceptions, and extensive surveillance to gather evidence against the suspects. During the investigation period, the city’s Childhood and Adolescence Police division documented over 900 cases involving the protection of minors found in recurrent begging situations, highlighting the scale of the problem.

Manuel Villa Mejía, the head of the Secretariat of Security and Coexistence for the Mayor’s Office of Medellín, affirmed the city’s commitment to protecting the rights of minors. He stated that the operation was a coordinated action with law enforcement to put an end to criminal practices that were affecting merchants, tourists, and the local community.

The seven captured individuals have been turned over to the Fiscalía General de la Nación to face judicial proceedings. Authorities have indicated that the investigation will continue in an effort to identify and apprehend other individuals connected to the exploitation ring and to ensure the restoration of rights for the affected children.

Seven arrested in Medellín for exploiting Embera Katío children in forced begging. Photo credit: City of Medellín.

Despite the tower’s collapse, EPM reported that there were no resulting power service interruptions in the city.

In the immediate aftermath, Medellín Mayor Federico “Fico” Gutiérrez stated that police were initially called to the area to investigate the presence of a flag alluding to the FARC’s 36th Front. After detonations were heard, the damage to the EPM tower was confirmed.

The mayor announced that the attack was believed to be a direct response to a successful operation by the National Police of Colombia in the municipality of Campamento, Antioquia, which resulted in the deaths of four members of the dissident group.

“This terrorist act is in response to the blow and takedown that the National Police dealt to this structure today in Campamento,” Gutiérrez stated. “We are going to continue putting a price on all terrorists. They will fall because they will fall. We are offering up to $200 million COP for information on the material and intellectual authors of the attack against the power tower.”

🚨🚨🚨A todos los terroristas les vamos a seguir poniendo precio. Caen porque caen. Ofrecemos hasta $200 millones de pesos para quien nos dé información de los responsables materiales e intelectuales de la afectación contra la torre de energía el día de hoy.
Colombia 🇨🇴 debe… pic.twitter.com/vR8MjDpDni

— Fico Gutiérrez (@FicoGutierrez) September 11, 2025

The governor of Antioquia, Andrés Julián Rendón, echoed the mayor’s assessment and announced an extraordinary security council meeting. “This is the front of ‘Calarcá,’ the same criminal with whom Petro insists on negotiating ‘total peace,” Governor Rendón remarked, referencing the national government’s ongoing peace negotiation policies.

EPM technical teams were dispatched to the scene immediately, but were unable to begin repairs. The area first had to be secured by anti-explosives units from the National Army of Colombia and the National Police to ensure no other explosive devices remained.

Security Response and Investigation Developments

Two days after the attack, on Friday, September 12, authorities announced a significant reinforcement of security in Medellín with the arrival of 480 new members of the Public Forces. The contingent, presented at the Bomboná Battalion, includes 350 soldiers from units such as the PM4, Special Forces, and the Rapid Deployment Force, along with 130 specialized police officers from the Search Block, GOES (Special Operations Groups), Gaula (Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Group), and intelligence and investigation units (Sipol, Sijín, Dijín).

Addressing the newly arrived forces, Mayor Gutiérrez defined their objective clearly. “The best way to protect ourselves and our citizens is by neutralizing the terrorist threat. That is the mission that has been entrusted to you as soldiers and police of the homeland,” he said, adding that the task is to completely dismantle the 36th Front of the FARC dissidents. “Medellín cannot be a den for criminals; we are going to continue fighting.”

The operational plan includes:

• 24-hour checkpoints on main roads and access points.
• Joint Army-Police patrols at major intersections.
• Combined patrols by GOES and Special Forces in peripheral areas.
• Raids to search for explosives and criminal group members.

Enhanced surveillance of strategic infrastructure using cameras and drones, supplemented by nocturnal air patrols with police and Colombian Air Force helicopters.

Authorities also updated the reward system, offering up to $50 million COP for information that prevents terrorist acts and up to $100 million COP for intelligence leading to the capture of the dissident leader in the department, known as alias ‘Primo Gay’.

Mayor Gutiérrez also reported a breakthrough in the investigation, announcing the capture of alias ‘el Sastre’ or ‘el Pío’ during a raid in the Manrique neighborhood. The individual is believed to be a logistics manager for the 36th Front. During the operation, authorities seized 19 flags identical to the one left at the tower site and communication equipment.

“These radios were not for communication,” Gutiérrez pointed out, “but to activate explosive charges.”

An attack using explosives destroyed a high-voltage electrical tower belonging to EPM. Photo credit: Es tendencia en Colombia/X.