Colombia extradites leader of armed group to US in shift towards Washington

Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella has emerged as close ally the of Trump administration in South America.

Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella speaks during a news conference after a security council meeting in Santa Marta, Colombia on September 25, 2026 [Marco Perdomo/AFP]

The Colombian government has extradited an alleged drug trafficking leader to the United States, part of a shift in the country’s security policy into greater alignment with Washington .

President Abelardo de la Espriella announced on Friday the extradition of Geovany Andres Rojas, who is accused of leading an organisation formed by previous members of the FARC rebel group.

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“You don’t build peace by protecting narco-terrorists like this bandit,” de la Espriella said after he personally oversaw Rojas’s transfer to the US. “I ask US authorities … that he cannot negotiate deals that will leave his crimes unpunished.”

De la Espriella’s left-wing predecessor, Gustavo Petro , shielded Rojas from extradition in order to use him as a mediator in talks between the government and armed and criminal groups, which Petro sought to rein in through negotiations rather than military confrontation.

The far-right president has tossed out that approach, promising to crack down on groups that split off from the former FARC rebel group following a peace deal with the government in 2016. Many of those groups have jostled for control over lucrative drug routes and illicit industries.

Rojas, also known as “the Spider”, was flown to California and placed in the custody of federal agents. He allegedly served as the commander and spokesperson of Comandos de la Frontera, a group associated with cocaine trafficking in the Colombian province of Putumayo that borders Ecuador and Peru.

He will face drug trafficking and terrorism charges in the US, which has sought to expand military operations across Latin America under the pretext of combating crime and drug trafficking during President Donald Trump’s second term in office.

Colombia’s new president has aligned himself closely with those efforts, scrapping peace talks and launching military operations against armed groups since taking office in August.

The New York Times reported that de la Espriella, a former defence lawyer, was previously investigated by US authorities over his ties to powerful drug traffickers, but never charged, and defended politicians linked to right-wing paramilitaries.

Rights groups have warned that a return to militarised confrontation could lead to rights abuses by government forces and an escalation in violence, but many Colombians have expressed support for a harder hand against criminal groups whose operations have often led to violence and mass displacement of civilians.

哥伦比亚总统阿韦拉多·德拉埃斯普里利亚已成为特朗普政府在南美洲的亲密盟友。

2026年9月25日，哥伦比亚总统阿韦拉多·德拉埃斯普里利亚在哥伦比亚圣玛尔塔举行的安全委员会会议后举行新闻发布会。[Marco Perdomo/AFP]

哥伦比亚政府已将一名涉嫌贩毒头目引渡到美国，这是该国安全政策向与华盛顿更加协调一致的转变的一部分。

总统阿韦拉多·德拉埃斯普里利亚周五宣布引渡乔瓦尼·安德烈斯·罗哈斯，他被指控领导一个由哥伦比亚革命武装力量（FARC）前成员组成的组织。

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特朗普集会拉美盟友打击贩毒集团（共3项）之3

“保护像罗哈斯这样的毒枭恐怖分子并不能带来和平，”德拉埃斯普里利亚在亲自监督罗哈斯移送美国后说道。“我要求美国当局……不能让他通过谈判达成任何能让他逍遥法外的协议。”

德拉埃斯普里利亚的左翼前任古斯塔沃·佩特罗为了利用罗哈斯作为政府与武装和犯罪集团之间谈判的调解人，保护他免遭引渡。佩特罗希望通过谈判而不是军事对抗来控制这些集团。

这位极右翼总统摒弃了这种做法，承诺严厉打击在2016年与政府达成和平协议后从前哥伦比亚革命武装力量（FARC）叛军组织分裂出来的团体。这些团体中有很多都在争夺利润丰厚的毒品走私路线和非法产业的控制权。

罗哈斯，又名“蜘蛛”，被押送至加利福尼亚州，并被移交给联邦特工。据称，他曾担任“边境突击队”（Comandos de la Frontera）的指挥官和发言人，该组织与哥伦比亚普图马约省（与厄瓜多尔和秘鲁接壤）的可卡因贩运活动有关。

他将在美国面临贩毒和恐怖主义指控。在唐纳德·特朗普总统的第二个任期内，美国以打击犯罪和贩毒为借口，试图扩大在拉丁美洲的军事行动。

哥伦比亚新​​总统与这些努力密切合作，自 8 月上任以来，他取消了和平谈判，并对武装团体发动了军事行动。

《纽约时报》报道称，德拉埃斯普里埃拉曾是一名辩护律师，此前曾因与势力强大的毒贩有联系而受到美国当局的调查，但从未被起诉，他还为与右翼准军事组织有关联的政客辩护。

人权组织警告说，恢复军事对抗可能导致政府军侵犯人权和暴力升级，但许多哥伦比亚人表示支持对犯罪集团采取更强硬的手段，这些犯罪集团的活动经常导致暴力和平民大规模流离失所。