November 8, 2004

InfoBrief is a weekly news summary of events in the U.S. and Colombia produced and distributed by the U.S. Office on Colombia. Colombia This Week is reproduced with the kind permission of the ABColombia Group in London. Other sources include U.S. and Latin American newspapers, and reports from non-profit and grassroots groups. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Office on Colombia. If you would like to receive InfoBrief please contact jess_hunter@usofficeoncolombia.org indicating why you would be interested in this weekly news service. Previous editions of the InfoBrief can be found at www.usofficeoncolombia.org

Colombia To Extradite Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela to United States The Colombian Supreme Court authorized the extradition of Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela, one of the Rodriguez-Orejuela brothers who co-founded the infamous Cali cartel, to the United States on charges that despite being locked up in prison since 1996, Gilberto and his brother Miguel have continued to run the cartel, a court spokesperson said. The brothers were allegedly able to maintain control of the decision-making in the cartel through Miguel Rodriguez-Orejuela’s son. U.S. officials say that the cartel is responsible for the illegal transport of large quantities of cocaine to the United States between 1990 and 2002. Extradition charges against Gilberto’s brother Miguel are pending. In a related story, thirteen Colombian drug suspects were extradited to the United States, where they will face charges of narcotics trafficking and money laundering, according to a U.S. Marshals Service official. The official indicated that nine of the alleged drug traffickers were flown from Colombia to Miami on November 3. From there the suspects were sent to Tampa, Florida, Boston, and the Southern District of New York to face charges. The total number of extradition charges carried out between Colombia and the United States for 2004 is 64, three below the total of 67 extraditions in 2003. In response to the extraditions, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft has said that the United States appreciates Uribe's "leadership and commitment" to proceed "vigorously against drug traffickers and terrorists, wherever they are found."
President Uribe Congratulates Bush Colombian President Alvaro Uribe congratulated President Bush on his recent election victory. "I want to congratulate President Bush on his victory, Senator [John] Kerry for this beautiful campaign, both of them for this example of democracy, and the people of the United States for the efficiency and efficaciousness of their democracy," Uribe told the press Wednesday. Colombian Ambassador to the U.S. , Luis Alberto Moreno, told Colombian news magazine Semana that President Bush’s reelection and the Republican victories in Congress are “positive for Colombia .” He went on to say that, “President Bush and the Republican Party consider Colombia one of the principle successes in their campaign against terrorism.” He suggested that Colombia therefore should continue to receive similar levels of assistance from the U.S. in the coming years. Otto Reich, a former White House Special Envoy to the Western Hemisphere, stated that in the second Bush Administration there may be some small “modifications in the approaches of different countries,” but that overall policies will remain unchanged for the region.
37 Tons of Cocaine Seized in Joint Effort by U.S. and Colombia Over the past two months United States and Colombian authorities have confiscated 37 tons of cocaine, worth approximately $2 billion, El Tiempo newspaper reported. The U.S. Coast Guard, working with Colombian authorities, has arrested 31 people during the operations. The latest seizures bring the total of drugs captured over the year to 110 tons. In a separate case, U.S. law enforcement officials announced that liquefied heroin hidden in juice boxes had been intercepted in route to the United States from Colombia. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency indicated they confiscated 38 kilograms of heroin with a wholesale value of more than $1.7 million. A field test revealed that nearly 100 juice boxes contained heroin. "ICE is investigating this case to track and apprehend the drug traffickers responsible," said Jesus Torres, the lead ICE agent in Miami.

Trade Unionists Denied Entry Into Colombia Four international trade unionists arriving for a regional meeting of the Global Union Federations in Bogotá were detained and then deported between October 30 and November 1, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported in a press release. Cameron Duncan of the U.S.-based Public Services International was held at Bogotá’s international airport by Colombia 's intelligence agency, DAS, and then deported along with three other international union representatives. Aidan White of the IFJ labeled the deportations “intolerable,” and accused the Colombian government playing a “political game of intimidation,” in a nation that leads the world in annual deaths of trade unionists. According to the reputable National Union College in Colombia, 47 trade unionists were killed between January and August 2004.

There will be no Colombia This Week until mid November due to staff travel. We apologize for the inconvenience.