A former Colombian maritime training instructor and a co-conspirator have pleaded guilty to drug charges before a Washington court, the U.S. Justice Department announced Monday.
According to a press release, Wilson Jesus Torres-Torres, a Colombian maritime training instructor, and Baudilio Vivero-Cardenas each pleaded guilty on Dec. 30, 2010, before a U.S. District judge in the District of Columbia to one count of conspiracy to violate the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act.
Torres-Torres and Vivero-Cardenas were charged in a one-count indictment returned in the District of Columbia on Feb. 24, 2009. They were arrested in Colombia on Sept. 30, 2009. Vivero-Cardenas was extradited to the United States on Sept. 2, 2010, and Torres-Torres was extradited to the United States on Sept. 23, 2010.
According to the court, the two Colombains were part of a drug trafficking gang that operated from the Pacific port town of Buenaventura.
Torres-Torres faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $4 million fine, while Vivero-Cardenas faces up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine.
The two Colombians will hear their sentence on March 25.