Colombian Navy Personnel Extradited To US For Assisting Drug Cartels Evade Patrols

Two former Colombian Navy employees have been extradited to the United States for helping international drug traffickers evade naval patrols.

The suspects, Jair Alberto Alvarez Valenzuela, aged 54, and Luis Carlos Diaz Martinez, aged 32, were extradited from Colombia on March 13, 2025.

They are facing charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, with authorities stating that the drugs were intended for illegal import into the United States.

If found guilty, both men could be sentenced to life in federal prison.

According to the indictment, Alvarez Valenzuela and Diaz Martinez accepted money from drug cartels in exchange for recruiting active-duty Colombian Navy personnel to plant GPS tracking devices on naval vessels.

These devices transmitted real-time location data, allowing drug traffickers to track navy patrols and reroute their own drug-laden vessels to avoid interception.

Court records reveal that the frigate ARC Antioquia and three patrol boats- ARC Punta Espalda, ARC 11 de Noviembre, and ARC Toledo-were tracked by drug traffickers between November 2022 and March 2023.

These naval vessels were conducting interdiction missions in the Caribbean, particularly near Panama and Cartagena, Colombia when their locations were being monitored by criminal organisations.

Authorities stated that drug traffickers in Colombia transport over 1,000 metric tons of cocaine annually through the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Criminal networks have previously used bribed fishermen as informants, but this case shows how they have also exploited advanced technology to avoid detection.

The extradition of the two suspects is part of the Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, a multi-agency program designed to combat high-level drug trafficking operations.

The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force, which led the case, consists of agents from the US Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attache in Bogota, Colombia, played a crucial role in securing the arrests and extraditions of the defendants.

Reference: US Department of Justice

Source: Maritime Shipping News