A Colombian national has admitted guilt in a case involving the kidnapping and assault of two U.S. Army soldiers stationed temporarily in Bogotá, Colombia. The individual, Pedro Jose Silva Ochoa, aged 47, along with accomplices, targeted the soldiers on March 5, 2020.
Court documents reveal that Silva Ochoa and his co-defendants drugged the soldiers at a pub in an entertainment district of Bogotá. After incapacitating them with benzodiazepines placed in their drinks, the victims were escorted to a vehicle driven by Silva Ochoa. They were subsequently kidnapped and robbed of personal items including wallets and electronic devices. The perpetrators used one victim's credit card and another's debit card for purchases and cash withdrawals. The victims regained consciousness separately the next day.
Silva Ochoa entered a guilty plea to conspiracy charges related to kidnapping internationally protected persons under a plea agreement. His sentencing date remains undecided as it awaits federal court proceedings where guidelines will be considered.
Previously extradited from Chile to the United States in May, Silva Ochoa is not alone in facing justice. Arango Castellanos, another co-defendant extradited from Colombia last year, pleaded guilty earlier this year and received a sentence exceeding 48 years. A third defendant, Uribe Chiran, was extradited recently and is scheduled for trial early next year.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement alongside Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole A. Argentieri and Special Agent Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office.
The investigation was led by the FBI Miami Field Office’s Extraterritorial Squad with assistance from various Justice Department offices as well as law enforcement authorities from Colombia and Chile.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertila Fernandez along with Trial Attorneys Clayton O’Connor and Elizabeth Nielsen are handling prosecution duties for this case.