Colombia has extradited an alleged drug-trafficking leader from a dissident faction of the former FARC rebel group to the United States, marking the first extradition of a senior commander from an illegal armed group under President Abelardo De La Espriella.

Geovany Andres Rojas, better known as “Spider,” was handed over to US authorities at a Colombian National Police air base in Bogota on September 25 under heavy security, according to three Colombian police sources who spoke to Reuters.

Rojas is accused of leading the Border Commands faction of the National Coordinator of the Bolivarian Army, or CNEB. The group is one of several armed organizations formed by former FARC fighters who rejected or later abandoned the 2016 peace agreement with the Colombian government.

President De La Espriella announced the extradition in a social media post, saying his administration had carried out 94 extraditions since taking office in August. He said Colombia would not become a refuge for drug traffickers wanted by international authorities and pledged to pursue trafficking networks from cultivation through their leadership.

US prosecutors accuse Rojas of drug trafficking and criminal conspiracy linked to alleged operations in Colombia and Ecuador dating back to 2017.

Rojas was arrested in February 2025 at a hotel in Bogota while participating in activities connected to peace talks held by the government of then-President Gustavo Petro with illegal armed groups.

The negotiations were part of Petro’s “Total Peace” policy, an effort to end a conflict that has affected Colombia for more than six decades and left around 500,000 people dead, according to the report.

The Border Commands are among several FARC dissident groups that rejected or later withdrew from the 2016 peace agreement. Petro’s government attempted to negotiate with these factions as well as the National Liberation Army, or ELN, but the process faced repeated setbacks and continued violence.

De La Espriella, a 49-year-old lawyer, has taken a different approach since replacing Petro. His government has ended peace negotiations with illegal armed groups, including some FARC dissident factions, and launched military operations aimed at retaking remote mountainous and jungle areas.

The extradition of Rojas signals the new government’s tougher approach toward armed groups and drug trafficking, while the United States continues to pursue cases involving alleged international narcotics networks.

SOURCE: Reuters, Luis Jaime Acosta, September 26, 2026.