ICE arrests Colombian national wanted for murder and drug trafficking

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Todd M. Lyons Acting Director | U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement

ICE arrests Colombian national wanted for murder and drug trafficking

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An ICE Homeland Security Task Force in Orlando has arrested Guillermo Perez Alzate, a Colombian national and former paramilitary leader of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. Authorities allege that Perez is involved in 29 murders and related crimes. The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia is known as a transnational criminal organization that uses drug trafficking to support its operations.

Perez was extradited to the United States in May 2008 along with 13 other alleged members of the group. He faced charges related to smuggling cocaine into the U.S. and was sentenced to 17 years in prison for conspiracy to import and traffic cocaine in Florida. During his trial, Perez admitted to murdering 29 people.

In October 2009, Perez was again arrested at Georgia’s McRae Correctional Institution for conspiracy to import cocaine into the country.

An immigration judge ordered Perez removed from the U.S., but his removal was deferred on August 9, 2016. The order was upheld again in 2017, but the decision remained deferred.

Interpol’s Department of Justice Washington arrested Perez in September 2020 based on a warrant from a foreign country.

The agencies involved in this arrest include HSI Orlando, Enforcement and Removal Operations Orlando, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service, the IRS, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

"Perez is a former paramilitary leader of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a transnational criminal organization that uses drugs to finance its illegal activities."

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