Overview
- Jorge Espinoza Peña, known as Alex, was detained at Bogotá’s El Dorado airport on Monday in a coordinated operation by Colombia’s National Police and prosecutor’s office with support from the FBI.
- U.S. authorities in the Eastern District of New York requested his extradition on charges tied to fentanyl trafficking and criminal conspiracy, and he is now in DIJIN custody in Bogotá pending that process.
- Colombian officials describe him as a financial and logistical link for the Sinaloa Cartel, calling him a key node in getting fentanyl to the United States and other markets.
- Investigators say profits from fentanyl shipments he helped move were funneled back to boost the cartel’s logistics, finances, and day‑to‑day operations.
- Police report he shifted to Colombia to avoid tighter controls in Sinaloa and to build partnerships with local criminal groups to move synthetic drugs, a pattern regional officials say they are targeting through extradition‑led cases.