Two Colombian nationals have been found guilty of conspiring to import tons of cocaine into the United States. Christian Fernando Borda, 46, and Alvaro Alvaran-Velez, 56, were extradited from Colombia to the US in 2009 and were sentenced to life in prison for their crimes.
The duo, aligned with the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), a Colombian paramilitary group designated as a foreign terrorist organization, were found guilty of one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine with the knowledge and intent that it would be imported into the US.
Between February 2005 and March 16, 2007, Borda and Alvaran-Velez were members of a major narcotics trafficking organization based in Colombia that transported multi-ton quantities of cocaine from Colombia to the US via Mexico.
The evidence at trial included numerous recorded conversations from in-person meetings and telephone calls, as well as surveillance by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), including photos and videos. Additional evidence revealed shipments of millions of dollars of narcotics-related proceeds, all in US currency, to Borda in Colombia via Monterrey, Mexico, and Mexico City.
Borda, as the leader of this drug trafficking organization, obtained large amounts of cocaine from Colombian paramilitary sources and directed others in their drug trafficking activities. Alvaran-Velez, an associate of Borda, coordinated and facilitated shipments of cocaine through his Mexico contacts.
The guilty verdicts returned today follow a seven-week trial before US District Judge Gladys Kessler in the District of Columbia. Borda and Alvaran-Velez are scheduled to be sentenced on April 28, 2011. The conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison, as well as a fine of up to $4 million. Borda has a prior felony narcotics conviction and thus faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.
This case was investigated by the DEA’s Miami and Houston Field Divisions, with assistance from DEA’s Cartagena and Bogota, Colombia, and Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico, country offices. The US Coast Guard provided valuable additional investigative assistance. The investigation also involved close cooperation with the Colombian National Police and the Colombian Fiscalia.
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Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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