A former leader of Colombian paramilitary organization AUC has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison and ordered to pay more than US$117 million after conviction on drug trafficking charges.
Federal prosecutors in Miami say Jesus Maria Alejandro Sanchez-Jimenez, a former leader in Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), pleaded guilty in July to conspiring to possess, manufacture and distribute thousands of kilograms of cocaine in Colombia, knowing it would go to the United States.
Before his arrest, authorities say Sanchez-Jimenez was the top lieutenant to his cousin, co-defendant Carlos Mario “Macaco” Jimenez-Naranjo, the leader of the Bloque Central Bolivar, part of the AUC.
The small army controlled cocaine production, distribution, seaports and airstrips throughout parts of Colombia until 2007.