Colombian Drug Cartel Leader Extradited to the U.S.

On Friday the Department of Justice announced that Luis Hernando Gomez-Bustamante, also known as "Rasguno," has been extradited from Colombia to the United States to face charges of cocaine importation, distribution and racketeering. The press release describes Gomez-Bustamante as one of the leaders of the Norte Valle Colombian Drug Cartel.

The drug charges are pending in the Eastern District of New York and involve more than 150 kilograms of cocaine. The racketeering charges are the result of a multi-district indictment pending in Washington, D.C. The investigation in that matter, according to the press release, involved the U.S. Attorneys' Offices in New York, the Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section of the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

According to the indictments, Gomez-Bustamante was responsible for multi-ton shipments of cocaine from Colombia that eventually ended up in the U.S. The cocaine was shipped along a route from Colombia, to other South American locations, to Mexico and ultimately the U.S. The cartel used South American and Mexican transportation groups that moved the cocaine via trucks, planes, speed boats, fishing vessels, etc.

This was no small enterprise or even a moderate criminal enterprise. The indictments allege that between 1990 and 2007, the Norte Valle Cartel was responsible for more than 1.2 million pounds of cocaine entering the U.S. The value of that quantity of cocaine is more than $10 billion. In the process, the cartel members are alleged to have used violence and brutality, including murder, to get the job done and punish anyone who failed to pay their cocaine bills or was suspected of working for law enforcement. The indictment also alleges that the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, a terrorist paramilitary organization known by the State Department, was used by the cartel for protection of its shipments, laboratories and personnel.

Gomez-Bustamante was originally indicted Oct. 10, 2002. Despite a $5 million award offered by the State Department, he remained a fugitive until arrested in Cuba in July 2004, when he attempted to enter the country with a false Mexican passport. In Feb. 2007, he was deported from Cuba to Colombia, where he remained until his extradition and arrival in New York on July 19, 2007.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is quoted in the press release: "Gomez-Bustamante's extradition is a blow to the leaders of international drug cartels who once thought they could never face justice in the United States. The cooperation of the Colombian government in extraditing alleged drug lords and the tireless work of U.S. prosecutors and federal agents in pursuing cases against them has helped in our efforts to target the Norte Valle and other cartels, and to cut off the flow of illegal drugs from Colombia to the United States."

Roslynn R. Mauskopf is a U.S. Attorney with the Eastern District of New York. She said that Gomez-Bustamante "is the 'Pablo Escobar' of his generation - a violent and ruthless drug trafficker whose organization flooded our streets with cocaine. The prosecution of the leaders of his cartel, culminating in the defendant's extradition, has brought low one of the largest drug organizations in the world. This long-term investigation and resulting prosecutions demonstrate our ongoing commitment to bring international drug traffickers to justice."

Julie Myers, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said "Gomez-Bustamante was a top member of an organization that controlled roughly 50 percent of the cocaine shipped to the United States in the 1990s and was responsible for countless murders and a reign of terror extending from Colombia to the United States. ICE agents in the United States and our Attaché in Colombia worked hand-in-glove with Colombian law enforcement officials, our partners in the DEA and the Justice Department to bring Gomez to justice."

Peter Smith is the New York ICE Special Agent in Charge. He echoed the opinions of the others: "Global criminal organizations that flood American streets with deadly contraband spread violence in our neighborhoods and around the globe. They exploit U.S. financial systems to cleanse their dirty money and violate U.S. borders with their smuggling enterprises. This clearly represents a threat to America's homeland and his arrest and extradition to the U.S. reflect a great triumph and extraordinary teamwork with our domestic and international law enforcement partners."

The press release ended with a reminder that the charges against Gomez- Bustamante are "merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty."

Source:

Press release, Leader of Norte Valle Colombian Drug Cartel Extradited to United States; http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/July/07_crm_524.html