A Colombian man pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to kidnapping and assaulting two U.S. military personnel in Bogota, Colombia, in March 2020, court documents said, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.
Colombian national Jefferson Arango Castellanos, 36, along with his alleged co-conspirators “targeted, neutralized, and kidnapped” two U.S. soldiers in the South American country nearly four years ago, documents state. ing. press release Said. According to the documents, the soldiers served in the U.S. military and were on “temporary duty” in the Colombian city, the Justice Department said.
The two soldiers killed by Arango Castellanos were in a pub in Bogotá's red-light district before being kidnapped by Colombians, the document said. (Related: Man allegedly shot tout in the head after buying him a drink)
According to the Justice Department, documents show that Arango and his co-conspirators slipped drugs, specifically benzodiazepines, into soldiers' drinks while they were drinking at bars.
The Colombian and his alleged co-conspirators kidnapped the two men and stole their wallets, debit cards, credit cards and cellphones, documents said. According to the documents, those credit and debit cards were used to withdraw money and buy things, the Justice Department said.
According to the Justice Department, documents show that the two victims were unconscious for a period of time. They regained consciousness the next day, but were separated from each other, the Justice Department said, according to documents. (Related: Valerievich: Military budget is meaningless if there is no will to fight)
The charges Arango pleaded guilty to include kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap, assault and conspiracy to commit assault, all against an “internationally protected person,” according to the Justice Department. It is said that
The Justice Department said the judge did not set a sentencing date.
The Justice Department said Arango was extradited from Colombia to U.S. soil on an extradition request by the U.S. government on behalf of the FBI in connection with the case, dating back to May 2023.
Foreign national extradited to U.S. for kidnapping and assault of U.S. soldiers in Colombia: Colombian national Jefferson Arango Castellanos has been extradited to the U.S. on charges related to the kidnapping and assault of two U.S. soldiers. https://t.co/q6uAw54WRW
— FBI Miami (@FBIMiamiFL) May 8, 2023
The name of the street in Arango was “Harry Potter.'' washington times.
The criminal alias “Harry Potter”, Jefferson Arango Castellanos, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Friday. https://t.co/tgAqSndh2g
— Washington Times (@WashTimes) May 7, 2023
“The Department of Justice's Bureau of International Affairs, the Criminal Division's Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Division Judicial Attaché's Office in Bogota, and the Federal Security Service worked with Colombian law enforcement authorities to secure Mr. Arango's arrest and extradition,” the Justice Department added. .
