On January 15, Colombia extradited a 48-year-old Colombian woman at the request of the Netherlands, who is suspected of large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) views her as a major figure in the international drug trade. She was arrested in Colombia on January 29, 2024. The plane with the suspect landed in the Netherlands on Thursday, escorted by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee.
The woman, known in criminal circles as the godmother of Amsterdam, came to attention after an intensive and lengthy investigation by the National Detection and Interventions Unit under the direction of the National Prosecutors Office. This involved close collaboration with authorities in Colombia and Spain. Last year, a total of 17 suspects were arrested, and 66 searches were conducted, both domestically (Rotterdam region) and abroad. During these searches, the police seized over 30 (automatic) firearms, a rocket launcher, 17 kilograms of cocaine, more than twenty vehicles, and over 600,000 in cash.
Leading Role
Intercepted and decrypted messages from the Sky ECC cryptoplatform revealed that the suspect, who holds Dutch-Colombian nationality, was heavily involved in cocaine trafficking from South America since summer 2020. According to the OM, she played a leading role. The woman is suspected of being directly involved in the importation of a seized shipment of 230 kilograms of cocaine in Spain on November 25, 2020. She was also previously convicted in 2017 by the Amsterdam court for drug smuggling preparation.
Presented
The Netherlands is very grateful to the Colombian law enforcement authorities for their efforts in apprehending and extraditing the suspect. The woman will be presented to the examining magistrate in Rotterdam on January 17.