Two former Colombian Navy employees, Jair Alberto Alvarez Valenzuela and Luis Carlos Diaz Martinez, have been extradited to the U.S. for allegedly helping drug traffickers evade law enforcement vessels by placing GPS tracking devices on Colombian Navy boats. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted several suspected drug-smuggling vessels, including a semi-submersible vessel and two boats in June 2019. The pair is accused of conspiring to distribute cocaine with the belief it would be unlawfully imported into the U.S. The group they allegedly worked for is the Gulf Clan, a powerful organized crime group responsible for drug trafficking in Colombia. The vessels they targeted included missile-bearing frigates and coastal patrol boats used by the Colombian Navy to intercept smuggling boats in the Caribbean. The scheme aimed to avoid detection by knowing the location of law enforcement vessels at all times. This case is part of ongoing efforts to combat maritime drug trade, which includes traffickers using diabolical tactics such as narco-submarines and fishermen spies to move cocaine undetected. The extradition of Alvarez Valenzuela and Diaz Martinez highlights the challenges faced by authorities in disrupting drug smuggling routes in the high seas.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image associated with the presented article. Due to copyright reasons, we are unable to use the original images. However, you can still enjoy the accurate and up-to-date content and information provided.
