Jose Gabriel Alvarez Ortiz, International Cocaine Distribution, Texas 2020

Houston, Texas – Jose Gabriel Alvarez Ortiz, 26, Extradited on International Cocaine Distribution Charges

HOUSTON – In a significant blow to the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional aka ELN), another member has landed on U.S. soil. Jose Gabriel Alvarez Ortiz, accused of distributing cocaine with ELN, arrived in Houston just moments ago.

According to the indictment, Ortiz participated in distributing approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine in Colombia in early 2019, knowing it would be imported into the United States. He is charged with international cocaine distribution and is set to make his initial appearance in Houston federal court tomorrow at 2 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray.

Ortiz is the third member of the ELN to be extradited to the United States in recent months. Two of his co-defendants, Yamit Picon-Rodriguez aka Choncha, 36, and Henry Trigos-Celon aka Moncho Picada, 44, were extradited last month and are facing narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges.

The ELN is a Colombian guerrilla group officially designated as a foreign terrorist organization on October 8, 1997. It continues to operate as one of the largest narco-terrorism organizations in the world.

The operation, dubbed Operation Catatumbo Lightning, is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Forces initiative. The Houston Strike Force is working to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that impact Houston and south Texas.

The U.S. Department of State, through its narcotics rewards program, is offering up to a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of suspected ELN leader Villegas-Palomino aka Carlos El Puerco, 38, who remains a fugitive. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov.

Defendant Information:

Defendant: Jose Gabriel Alvarez Ortiz

Criminal Charges: International Cocaine Distribution

City and State: Houston, Texas

Exact Date: Early 2019

Sentence or Outcome: Currently in Custody awaiting initial appearance in Houston federal court

Dollar Amounts: None

Additional Information:

The Houston Divisions of the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted the investigation as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). FBI and DEA agents in Bogota provided substantial support as did the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) multi-agency Special Operations Division, including assigned attorneys from the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and National Security Division, as well as DOJ Judicial Attaches in Colombia with the cooperation of Colombian authorities.

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