Aldemar Soto-Charry, a 64-year-old senior member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), has been handed a federal prison sentence of 78 months. This comes after his conviction for conspiring to distribute cocaine with the intent of importing it into the United States. The announcement was made on Friday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia.
The U.S. attorney’s office has reported that Soto-Charry, also known as “El Ingeniero,” admitted his guilt on October 11, 2024, to conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and aiding and abetting.
According to the department, Soto-Charry knowingly trafficked more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine for a Mexican cartel with the intention of it reaching the United States.
In 2018, the U.S. attorney’s office stated that the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated efforts to target Colombian traffickers associated with FARC.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Soto-Charry provided details about FARC-controlled cocaine labs and asserted that the organization had the capacity to deliver up to 2,000 kilograms of cocaine every few weeks.
From October 2018 to July 2019, Soto-Charry engaged in meetings with undercover sources who were posing as intermediaries for the Mexican Gulf Cartel. These meetings involved discussions about various aspects of cocaine, including purity, pricing, and smuggling routes.
During these discussions, Soto-Charry’s co-conspirators ultimately assisted in delivering a sample of cocaine and deliberated on the methods to transport it to the United States.
The U.S. attorney’s office has confirmed that his associates delivered a sample weighing five kilograms and provided details about their intentions to send even larger shipments.
The U.S. attorney’s office has announced that Mauricio Mazabel-Soto, the co-defendant, has been sentenced to 73 months, while Alfredo Molina-Cutiva, another co-defendant, received a sentence of 70 months.