Former Colombian Paramilitary Leader Sentenced to 19.5 Years in Federal Prison

Jeffrey H. Sloman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, Miami Field Division; John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office; and Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Investigations, announced that defendant Jesus Maria Alejandro Sanchez-Jimenez, a/k/a “Scooby,” a former leader of  Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), a paramilitary and drug-trafficking organization based in Colombia, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard.  Judge Lenard sentenced Sanchez-Jimenez to 235 months’ imprisonment and a money judgment of $117,466,000.

On July 21, 2009, Sanchez-Jimenez pled guilty to a superseding indictment, which charged him with conspiring to possess, manufacture, and distribute thousands of kilograms of cocaine in Colombia, knowing that it would be imported into the United States, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 963, and Title 46, United States Code, Section 70506(b). Prior to his arrest, Sanchez-Jimenez was the top lieutenant to co-defendant Carlos Mario Jimenez-Naranjo, a/k/a “Macaco,” the leader of the “Bloque Central Bolivar,” an arm of the AUC that was funded primarily through narcotics proceeds. From the mid-1990's through 2007, the Bloque Central Bolivar controlled cocaine production, distribution, maritime seaports, and airstrips in the areas of Antioquia and Choco, among other locations in Colombia, through an army of several thousand men.

Special Agent in Charge John V. Gillies stated, “In recent years, the United States and Colombia have had great success in dismantling violent drug trafficking organizations due to the outstanding cooperation between our governments. The FBI will continue to team with our foreign and domestic counterparts to pursue joint law enforcement operations against international organized crime threats.”

Mr. Sloman commended the DEA, FBI, and ICE’s Office of Investigations for their work in this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandro O. Soto.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.