Gustavo Petro signed this Wednesday the extradition to the United States for drug trafficking of Álvaro Fredy Córdoba, brother of Senator Piedad Córdoba. The announcement was made by Minister of Justice Néstor Osuna.
Alvaro Córdoba has 10 days to appeal the Executive's decision, which was requested by the court of the Southern District of New York for alleged drug trafficking offenses.
In August, Colombia's Supreme Court of Justice approved the extradition of Álvaro Fredy Córdoba to the United States, but President Petro had the last word.
The accusations
The magazine Week magazine recounted how the accused allegedly transported drugs by sky, land and sea, and that he even did so aboard a US-registered aircraft. They detailed that on another occasion he traveled more than 12 miles by sea to transport "a large load of cocaine".
Álvaro Córdoba is also accused of carrying firearms and conspiracy to commit a crime. The U.S. courts, however, will not prosecute these alleged crimes because they were committed in Colombia.
Since his arrest, Cordoba has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
In addition to being the brother of Senator Piedad Córdoba, Álvaro Fredy Córdoba Ruiz is a nutritionist graduated from the Universidad de Antioquia and is also 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 3, 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 reported that according to the evidence, Córdoba Ruiz was in charge of obtaining the drugs and negotiating with the head of the so-called "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, allegedly through Córdoba, the narcoterrorists promised to take the merchandise to the Pacific at three key points: Tumaco (Nariño), Cauca and Buenaventura (Valle).
