United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg has announced that Jorge Hernan Gonzalez-Ortiz and Carlos Andres Aldana-Gil, both from Colombia, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States. They each face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison, though a sentencing date has not yet been set.
Court documents reveal that between 2016 and 2023, Gonzalez-Ortiz led a drug trafficking organization in Colombia. The group was responsible for transporting cocaine using commercial airplanes. The drugs were disguised as boxes of fruit at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia, destined for Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport on San Andrés Island. Corrupt Colombian police officers assisted the conspirators by unloading the cocaine, which was then smuggled by boat to Nicaragua or Honduras before reaching Mexico and the United States.
Gonzalez-Ortiz's organization successfully smuggled cocaine on at least 27 flights from Cali during this period, totaling over 43,000 kilograms.
From 2021 to 2023, Aldana-Gil managed logistical operations for Gonzalez-Ortiz from Cali. He received truckloads of cocaine and transported them to the airport while bribing an airport security supervisor to divert security cameras away from external gates. He also hired individuals to alter cargo manifests and load the drugs onto planes. On July 29, 2023, one shipment was intercepted by Colombian National Police after being offloaded in San Andrés Island.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative aimed at dismantling major drug traffickers and transnational criminal organizations through multi-agency collaboration.
The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force specifically targets large-scale drug trafficking and related activities with contributions from several agencies including the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Assistance was provided by various international entities such as the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and Colombian law enforcement agencies including DIRAN and ETICA. Assistant United States Attorney David J. Pardo is prosecuting this case.