NEW YORK, NY – Alberto Alonso Jaramillo Ramirez, 56, of Medellín, Colombia, will spend the next 12 and a half years behind bars after being sentenced today to 150 months in prison for his role in a massive cocaine importation conspiracy. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, marks a significant blow to a network that allegedly funneled tons of the drug into the United States, with ties to the notorious FARC guerilla organization.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, didn’t mince words, stating, “Our fight against the flood of dangerous drugs from Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico is about protecting our children and our communities.” Clayton emphasized that Jaramillo Ramirez wasn’t just a street-level dealer, but a key facilitator working with paramilitaries. “Jaramillo Ramirez conspired to traffic massive amounts of cocaine into our country…New Yorkers want him and others like him put out of business.”
Court documents reveal Jaramillo Ramirez conspired with co-defendants and individuals linked to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) – a violent Colombian group responsible for a significant portion of cocaine reaching U.S. shores – to establish a supply line. He was actively negotiating with a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (referred to as the “Mexican DTO”), believing them to be legitimate buyers. In reality, these individuals were confidential sources working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The investigation uncovered that Jaramillo Ramirez promised to connect the “buyers” with sources capable of supplying ton quantities of cocaine and providing transportation and security. To prove the quality of their product, Jaramillo Ramirez and his associates sold DEA sources a five-kilogram sample of cocaine in December 2021, testing between 86.6% to 89.1% pure, sourced from a FARC-associated farm outside Medellín. He was arrested in Colombia in February 2022, just as he was finalizing a deal with the Mexican DTO to ship approximately 500 kilograms of cocaine per week.
Jaramillo Ramirez isn’t the only one facing consequences. Libia Amanda Palacio Mena received a 168-month sentence on April 11, 2024, and Alvaro Fredy Cordoba Ruiz was sentenced to 168 months on April 26, 2024, both for their roles in the conspiracy. Jaramillo Ramirez will also serve four years of supervised release following his prison term. Clayton lauded the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit and Bogotá Country Office, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, for their work in securing Jaramillo Ramirez’s extradition from Colombia in March 2024.
The case was handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas S. Bradley, Kaylan E. Lasky, and Kevin T. Sullivan leading the prosecution. While this conviction closes a chapter in this particular operation, the Grimy Times will continue to track the flow of illicit drugs and expose the criminals profiting from human misery. Note: Communications referenced were conducted in Spanish and described in substance and in part.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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