Extradition of Piedad Cordoba's brother to the U.S., accused of drug trafficking, pending Gustavo Petro's OK

The Colombian Supreme Court of Justice approved last Wednesday the extradition to the United States of the brother of Colombian Senator Piedad Córdoba, Álvaro Fredy Córdoba Ruiz, who is wanted by the United States for drug trafficking. However, the last word will be left to President Gustavo Petro, who has the power to decide whether or not to sign the extradition.

Week magazine, reports that the accused transported drugs by air, land and sea, and that he even did so aboard an aircraft registered in the United States. They also reported that on another occasion, he traveled more than 12 miles by sea to transport "a large haul of cocaine."

Álvaro Córdoba is also accused of carrying firearms and conspiracy to commit a crime. The U.S. courts will not try these alleged crimes, considering that they were committed in Colombia.

Who is Álvaro Fredy Córdoba Ruiz?

In addition to being the brother of Senator Piedad Córdoba, Álvaro Fredy Córdoba Ruiz is a qualified nutritionist who graduated from the Universidad de Antioquia and later qualified as an economist from the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia.

He ran as a candidate for election to the Medellín City Council for the period 2012-2015, representing the Liberal Party. He did not reach the required vote to obtain a position. He has participated in political campaigns with his sister and works for the movement Medellin Unstoppable, recognized for supporting the current administration of Daniel Quintero, mayor of the city.

Capture

On February 3rd, agents of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Interpol captured Álvaro Fredy Córdoba in Medellín by order of a U.S. Court for the Southern District of New York, after an arduous investigation.

Semana says that according to the evidence, Cordoba Ruiz was in charge of getting the drugs. He negotiated with the head of FARC dissidents in southern Colombia, Miguel Botache Santillana, alias Gentil Duarte. Córdoba Ruiz reportedly attended business meetings in Bogotá and Medellín.

Once the cocaine was purchased, presumably through Cordoba, the FARC dissidents promised to take the merchandise to the Pacific at three key points: Tumaco (Nariño), Cauca and Buenaventura (Valle).

Read below the complete ruling of the Colombian Supreme Court of Justice on this case:

Full Sentence of the Co... by VozMedia

The recently elected president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who has ideological and political ties with Senator Piedad Córdoba, sister of the accused, has not yet made a statement on this case.

There are several accusations that link Piedad Córdoba directly to the activities of the Farc terrorist group, with whom she allegedly collaborated actively between 2007 and 2008, according to Andrés Vásquez, former advisor of the senator, who assured that Córdoba contacted the group under the alias of Teodora.

The Colombian justice system continues to investigate the facts related to carrying firearms and conspiracy to commit a crime against Álvaro Córdoba, this could delay the extradition process since it is possible that the accused would have to first serve jail time for the crimes committed on Colombian soil.