COLOMBIAN DRUG TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO 194 MONTH PRISON TERM

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Monday, September 16, 2013

High-level Colombian Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 194 Months in Prison
Jose Maria Corredor-Ibague, aka “Boyaco,” a high-level drug trafficker and supporter of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), has been sentenced in Washington, D.C., to serve 194 months in prison.  Corredor-Ibague was the first person in the nation to be indicted under the federal narco-terrorism statute, which became law in March 2006.

The sentencing was announced today by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. of the District of Columbia; Michele M. Leonhart, Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI’s Miami Field Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Special Agent in Charge Alysa D. Erichs; and Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service Southeast Field Office.

“Jose Maria Corredor-Ibague was an international drug lord who moved cocaine around the world through a close, criminal partnership with the FARC,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman.  “This narco-terrorism case was the first of its kind.  As this 194-month sentence demonstrates, the Justice Department is firmly committed to working with its counterparts to hold accountable anyone who uses narco-trafficking to support, assist and enable terrorism.”

“This defendant led a drug transportation network that distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine to destinations in the United States and other countries, often acting in concert with the FARC terrorist organization,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He was a leader of a broader conspiracy that engaged in narco-terrorism, and his apprehension, prosecution and 194-month prison sentence show that law enforcement is committed to combatting drug traffickers and those who provide support to terrorist groups.”

Corredor-Ibague’s sentence was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia.  On Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, Corredor-Ibague, 46, a Colombian National, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler.  In addition to his prison term, Corredor-Ibague was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release.

Corredor-Ibague was arrested in Colombia on Oct. 15, 2006.  He was extradited to the United States in October 2008 and subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine while knowing and intending that the cocaine would be imported into the United States, one count of narco-terrorism and one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.

According to court documents, Corredor-Ibague was the leader of an extensive drug manufacturing and transportation network that processed and manufactured cocaine in Colombian laboratories and used airplanes to fly multi-hundred kilogram loads of cocaine from clandestine airstrips in Colombia to various countries, including Brazil, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela.  From these countries, which were often used as transshipment points, the cocaine was sent to destinations in the United States and Europe.  Corredor-Ibague controlled the clandestine airstrips used by his organization and also owned and operated the laboratories used to manufacture and package the cocaine.  Corredor-Ibague and his associates also transported cocaine owned by other drug trafficking organizations, including cocaine belonging to the FARC.

Corredor-Ibague’s drug trafficking activities were conducted with the protection of the FARC.  In particular, the FARC’s “First Front” combat group profited from the activities of Corredor-Ibague and his associates.  Corredor-Ibague paid taxes to the FARC using U.S. currency and weapons.  Additionally, Corredor-Ibague provided material support, assistance and resources to the FARC, including assault-type weapons, machine guns, ammunition, uniforms and sophisticated communications equipment.  Corredor-Ibague conducted these activities with knowledge that the FARC engaged in terrorist activity and terrorism in Colombia and elsewhere.

“This narco-terrorist illegally exported sophisticated US military weapons and communications equipment to support criminal activities by a designated terrorist organization,” said DCIS Special Agent in Charge Khin.  “Joint investigations such as these highlight the success of multi-agency partnerships in protecting America’s national security interests in this region.”

This case was investigated by the DEA, the ICE-HSI Miami Field Office, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Field Office and the FBI Miami Field Office.  Additionally, the U.S. government expresses its grateful appreciation to the government of Colombia for their assistance and support during the investigation, arrest and extradition.

The case was jointly prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Robert Raymond and Jamie Perry of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS); Trial Attorney Glenn Alexander, formerly of NDDS and now with the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Asuncion of the District of Columbia; and Trial Attorney David Cora of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.  The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance in the provisional arrest and extradition of Corredor-Ibague.

AFGHAN NATIONAL CONVICTED IN U.S. OF DRUG TRAFFICKING AND NARCO-TERRORISM

The following excerpt is from the Department of Justice website:
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Haji Bagcho Convicted by Federal Jury in Washington, D.C., on Drug Trafficking and Narco-terrorism Charges Afghan National Trafficked More Than 123,000 Kilograms of Heroin in 2006
WASHINGTON – An Afghan national with ties to the Taliban was convicted today by a jury in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia of conspiracy, distribution of heroin for importation into the United States and narco-terrorism, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Administrator Michele M. Leonhart of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
 
Haji Bagcho, from Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, was investigated by the DEA for narcotics offenses.  The investigation revealed that Bagcho was one of the largest heroin traffickers in the world and manufactured the drug in clandestine laboratories along Afghanistan’s border region with Pakistan.  Bagcho sent heroin to more than 20 countries, including the United States.  Proceeds from his heroin trafficking were then used to support high-level members of the Taliban to further their insurgency in Afghanistan.
Beginning in 2005 and continuing for the next five years, the DEA, in cooperation with Afghan authorities, conducted an investigation of Bagcho’s organization.  With the help of cooperating witnesses, the DEA purchased heroin directly from the organization on two occasions, which Bagcho understood was destined for the United States.  They also conducted several searches of residences belonging to Bagcho and his associates, recovering evidence consistent with drug trafficking.  During one search, ledgers belonging to the defendant were found.  One ledger, cataloguing Bagcho’s activities during 2006, reflected heroin transactions of more than 123,000 kilograms, worth more than $250 million, according to Bagcho’s ledger.   Based on heroin production statistics compiled by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime for 2006, the defendant’s trafficking accounted for approximately 20% of the world’s total production for that year.
The investigation also obtained evidence that over several years, Bagcho used a portion of his drug proceeds to provide the former Taliban governor of Nangarhar Province and two Taliban commanders responsible for insurgent activity in eastern Afghanistan with cash, weapons and other supplies so that they could continue their “jihad” against western troops and the Afghan government.

“Haji Bagcho was a prolific and dangerous heroin manufacturer, trafficking in over 123,000 kilograms of the drug in 2006 alone,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.  “Moreover, he used proceeds from his crimes to fund Taliban insurgents and fuel their ongoing ‘jihad’ against the United States and others.  The effects of Bagcho’s criminal activity were felt all over the world, and today’s guilty verdict ensures that he will serve a lengthy prison term.”

“One of the world’s most prolific drug trafficker’s reign has come to an end,” said DEA Administrator Leonhart.  “Now Haji Bagcho will serve time behind bars on the same soil he sought to destroy with his drugs, and whose troops he sought to kill through his support to the Taliban.  DEA stands committed to stopping narco-traffickers, like Bagcho, and their funding of terror.”

A grand jury returned an indictment against Bagcho on Nov. 8, 2006, charging him with distributing heroin, knowing that it would be imported into the United States.  A superseding indictment returned on Jan. 28, 2010, added additional charges of conspiracy to distribute and distribution of heroin, knowing or intending that it would be imported in the United States, as well as engaging in drug trafficking knowing or intending to provide something of pecuniary value to a terrorist or terrorist organization.  Bagcho was brought to the United States on June 24, 2009.  He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison.  A sentencing hearing is scheduled before the Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle on June 12, 2012.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Matthew Stiglitz and Marlon Cobar of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section.  The case was investigated by the DEA Special Operations Division in the United States, with assistance from the DEA’s Foreign Deployed Advisory Support Team and Kabul Country Office in Afghanistan, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, and in close cooperation with Afghan law enforcement.  The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided invaluable support.