Petro authorises extradition of 'Chiquito Malo', leader of Clan del Golfo, to United States
President Gustavo Petro signed executive resolution 261 of 6 July 2026 to deliver Jobanis de Jesús Ávila Villadiego, alias 'Chiquito Malo', to United States justice on drug trafficking charges.
Petro authorises extradition of 'Chiquito Malo', leader of Clan del Golfo, to United States
Colombian President Gustavo Petro formally signed the delivery of Jobanis de Jesús Ávila Villadiego, known by the alias 'Chiquito Malo', to United States authorities. The decision was set out in executive resolution number 261, dated 6 July 2026, and is based on article 491 of Law 906 of 2004.
The extradition request was presented by the United States government through its Embassy in Colombia on 29 November 2022. Washington is requesting that Ávila Villadiego answer before North American courts for offences linked to drug trafficking and criminal conspiracy. The Deputy Attorney General of the Nation, acting in place of the Attorney General, had previously ordered his arrest for extradition purposes from 30 November 2022.
The principal charge against him corresponds to an indictment by the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of Florida, handed down on 28 June 2022. He is accused of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute five kilogrammes or more of a substance containing cocaine, aboard a vessel under United States jurisdiction.
The presidential text establishes that the delivery of the defendant shall not be postponed by other trials he may have pending in Colombian territory. It expressly orders that the delivery of Ávila Villadiego shall not be deferred on account of the criminal proceedings against him in the country, and orders the extradition to be carried out.
The procedure provides that, once arrested, he shall be placed at the disposal of United States authorities provided that these guarantee that he will not be a victim of forced disappearance, torture or inhumane, cruel or degrading treatment. Likewise, the requesting country must commit to not applying penalties such as life imprisonment, exile or confiscation.
After serving any sentence or if the reason for his detention in the United States ceases, the extradited person shall return to Colombia to face pending judicial proceedings. The document also clarifies that he may not be tried or convicted for facts prior to and distinct from those which are the basis for this extradition, in accordance with article 494 of Law 906 of 2004. Nor shall evidence prior to 17 December 1997 be admitted.
The resolution must be served personally on Ávila Villadiego or his lawyer, who may file a motion for reconsideration within ten days following service, in accordance with the Code of Administrative and Contentious Administrative Procedure.
Once it becomes final, the authorities shall send a copy of the administrative act to the Directorate of International Legal Affairs, to the Directorate of Migration, Consular Affairs and Citizen Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the Attorney General's Office, to the Office of the Commissioned Adviser for Peace and to the judges hearing the pending proceedings against the named party.
The delivery of 'Chiquito Malo' is part of judicial cooperation between Colombia and the United States, which provides for the immediate transfer of the requested person after his arrest and the receipt of the corresponding diplomatic guarantees, with respect for his fundamental rights during the criminal proceedings in the requesting country.
Source: Infobae
Source: Google News CO — Crime