“Sebastian,” once one of Colombia’s most wanted criminals and former leader of the Medellin-based “Oficina de Envigado” crime syndicate, was extradited Wednesday to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.
Sebastian was extradited early Wednesday morning from La Picaleña prison in Ibague, just outside of Bogota, along with 12 others awaiting charges on various crimes.
Sebastian, 38, began as a low-ranking member of the Oficina de Envigado in the 1990s when it was the military wing of the Medellin drug cartel. Sebastian rose to leadership in the Oficina, which under the command of extradited paramilitary “Don Berna” largely took over the operations of Medellin cartel after drug kingpin, Pablo Escobar, was killed.
In 2008, he became the top leader of the criminal group following Berna’s extradition.
In 2012, Sebastian was captured by the Colombian National Police and President Juan Manuel Santos praised the victory as a “super blow” against organized crime.
MORE: Oficina de Envigado leader ‘Sebastian’ captured outside Medellin
131 people have been extradited to the US thus far in 2013.
Extradition to the US was once constitutionally prohibited in Colombia, however due to the high degree of corruption and bribery within Colombian prisons, that aspect of the constitution was repealed in 1996.
Sources
- Extraditan a alias “Sebastian”, exjefe de “la Oficina” (El Colombiano)