Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella announced Wednesday from the presidential palace in Bogotá that five leaders of criminal organizations will be extradited to the United States, marking a definitive break from the “total peace” policy pursued by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro.
Three of the men — Willington Henao Gutiérrez (“El Mocho Olmedo”), Carmen Evelio Castillo Carrillo (“Muñeca”) and Giovanny Andrés Rojas (“Araña”) — are already in custody. Their extraditions had been approved by Colombia’s Supreme Court but were put on hold under Petro’s administration while it negotiated with the groups, talks that produced no results. Two others, Gabriel Yepes Mejía (“HH”) and Fredy Castillo Castillo (“Pinocho”), remain at large and will be extradited once captured. All five face U.S. charges including drug trafficking, money laundering, weapons possession and narco-terrorism.
De La Espriella said his government’s peace commission — which he plans to rename — found no evidence that the men had contributed to peace efforts, accusing them instead of continuing to commit crimes. “Dialogue and false peace are not judicial refuges,” he said, insisting that only genuine disarmament, not negotiation, will be rewarded by the state.
The announcement follows widespread criticism that Petro’s “total peace” initiative, which sought simultaneous talks with multiple armed groups, allowed several factions to expand rather than demobilize.
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