A Colombian national, Aldemar Soto-Charry, has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine intended for importation into the United States. The sentence was delivered by U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta. This case involved significant collaboration between U.S. and Colombian authorities.
Soto-Charry, also known as "El Ingeniero," pleaded guilty on October 11, 2024, admitting his involvement in distributing over 1,000 kilos of cocaine regularly to a Mexican cartel with knowledge that it would be transported into the United States. In addition to his prison sentence, Soto-Charry will serve four years of supervised release.
The investigation began in 2018 when the DEA targeted large-scale drug traffickers connected to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The DEA discovered Soto-Charry's plans involving FARC leadership exploring money laundering through real estate purchases in Panama.
Confidential sources posed as business facilitators during meetings with Soto-Charry and his associates from October 2018 onwards. These discussions revealed details about FARC's illicit activities, including laundering $10 million through constructing a medical clinic and organizing drug deals using cocaine processed at FARC-controlled laboratories.
Soto-Charry was arrested on August 8, 2019, in Colombia at the request of the United States and extradited five years later on August 8, 2024. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
His co-defendants have also received sentences: Mauricio Mazabel-Soto was sentenced to 73 months and Alfredo Molina-Cutiva to 70 months in prison.
This case saw cooperation from various entities including the DEA, FBI Miami Field Office, Colombian Attorney General’s Office Dirección Especializada contra el Narcotráfico and Dirección de Asuntos Internacionales, along with support from U.S. Justice Department sections like International Affairs and Judicial Attaché offices.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Iris McCranie and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ernesto J. Alvarado prosecuted this case with additional help from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin L. Rosenberg who initially handled it.