The former security adviser of ex-President Alvaro Uribe plead not guilty to drug trafficking charges before a U.S. court Friday morning.
Retired police general Mauricio Santoyo handed himself over to U.S. authorities on Tuesday, after which he was taken by plane to the state of Virginia in the U.S. to face charges of drug trafficking during his time as police chief.
According to the prosecution of the Eastern District Court of Virginia, the ex-general collaborated with the far-right paramilitary organization AUC and Medellin-based crime syndicate Oficina de Envigado between 2000 and 2008.
The U.S. case against Santoyo began with testimonies from former AUC commander Salvatore Mancuso and drug trafficker “El Tuso,” both of whom claimed Santoyo collaborated with them on a wide range of activities related to drug trafficking.
Santoyo led the counter-narcotics unit of Colombia’s National Police before becoming Uribe’s security adviser in 2002.