HomeNewsBriefColombia Trafficker With Ties to Uribe Pleads Guilty in US
BRIEF

Colombia Trafficker With Ties to Uribe Pleads Guilty in US

COLOMBIA / 11 SEP 2013 BY CHARLES PARKINSON EN

A high-profile drug trafficker with familial ties to Alvaro Uribe has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in the United States, raising further questions about the criminal connections of Colombia's former president.

Appearing at Florida Southern District Court on September 10, Dolly Cifuentes Villa, alias "La Meno," pleaded guilty to one of the five drug trafficking charges against her, reversing the not guilty plea she made after being extradited last year, reported El Colombiano.  

Cifuentes' organization is accused of trafficking up to 30 tons of cocaine into the United States on the behalf of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, as well as overseeing money laundering operations for cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. According to Semana, her business interests spanned the Americas and were worth up to $200 million.

Cifuentes is the mother to two of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's nieces, having been the lover of his late brother Jaime. Uribe has claimed to have had no knowledge of the extra-marital affair, despite the fact the ten year age gap between the children suggests it was a long-term relationship.

InSight Analysis

Cifuentes' decision to reverse her not guilty plea follows a similar pattern among drug traffickers extradited to the United States and was probably inspired by the offer of a lighter sentence. She may also have offered to provide information on her criminal associates as part of a plea bargain.

The fact that she has accepted the drug trafficking charge and may provide US authorities with information could be troubling for Uribe, who has previously been directly linked to the Medellin Cartel and drug trafficking in US intelligence reports, as well as facing consistent accusations of collusion with the drug trafficking paramilitary umbrella group the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).

Should it emerge that Uribe was aware of her relationship with his brother and her illegal activities, it will add to calls for an investigation into his criminal associations, something his family members have already been imprisoned for. However, despite the open accusations of AUC leaders, investigations have time and again stopped short of Uribe's door, and it seems unlikely the Cifuentes case will the one to change this.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COCAINE / 7 MAR 2023

The US State Department's annual narcotics report sees coca cultivation spreading, while Colombia remains the top cocaine supplier to the…

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 4 OCT 2022

Corruption, no supervision, and poor legislation have led to Latin American military weapons ending up in criminal hands.

COLOMBIA / 24 NOV 2022

Migrants crossing the Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama face extortion, rape, violence, and being forced to carry drugs.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…