Tampa, Florida – The grim reaper of the cocaine trade, Piero Antonio Lubo-Barros, also known as ‘Nostradamus,’ was today handed over to U.S. authorities after a dramatic extradition from Costa Rica. The 41-year-old Colombian national stands accused of masterminding a transnational conspiracy that funneled vast quantities of cocaine into the United States.
According to court documents, Lubo-Barros orchestrated this criminal enterprise starting in September 2017, stretching across two years and spanning states like Texas and California, as well as cities such as Fort Lauderdale and Miami. If convicted on all counts, the so-called ‘Nostradamus’ faces life behind bars.
The road to justice for Lubo-Barros began in April 2018 when a Middle District of Florida indictment charged him and his co-conspirator, Gerardo Gomez-Lubo, with conspiracy to distribute cocaine. In January 2021, Lubo-Barros was finally caught while living under an alias in Costa Rica.
His cohort, Gomez-Lubo, had already been extradited from Panama to the United States in March 2021. An indictment is no more than a formal charge of violating federal criminal law, and Lubo-Barros remains innocent until proven guilty.
This case was a joint effort by the Panama Express Strike Force, an elite Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Costa Rican authorities played pivotal roles in Lubo-Barros’ extradition, alongside the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes will be handling this case, which is part of the OCDETF’s ongoing mission to dismantle high-level criminal organizations. More information on the OCDETF can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Related Federal Cases
- Tabasco Finance Chief Nabbed in $50M Money Grab · New York
- Drug Kingpin ‘Nostradamus’ Gets Over 17 Years for Cocaine Smuggling · New York
- Wall Street Bailout: NY & CA Lose $2 Trillion · North Carolina
- Live Nation Faces Trial Over Monopoly Practices · Washington
- Worcester Woman Sentenced for Methamphetamine Conspiracies · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
