Video above: This Nexstar Media video explains the different “schedules” of drugs.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A suspected international cocaine trafficker known as “Araña” was indicted Friday by a federal grand jury on a new count of Narco-Terrorism, announced the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of California.
The indictment is against 43-year-old Geovany Andres Rojas, who is a Colombian national. It’s a superseding one, adding a second charge to the previous count of International Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine.
Rojas is alleged to have played a major role in a drug trafficking network operating across Colombia, Ecuador and other locations. He is accused of conspiring to distribute cocaine with full knowledge that the narcotics would be unlawfully imported into the United States, the attorney’s office explained. The new charge of Narco-Terrorism alleges that Rojas knowingly provided financial support or resources to individuals and organizations involved in terrorist activities.
The Narco-Terrorism charge elevates the case, reflecting the growing nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism. Federal authorities claim that Rojas was directly involved in supporting groups engaged in violence, further underscoring the dangers posed by international criminal organizations that operate with impunity across borders.
This indictment is a result of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Strike Force Initiative, a multi-agency program that brings together federal, state and local agencies to tackle drug trafficking and organized crime. Through a co-located model, law enforcement officials from different agencies collaborate on intelligence-driven operations designed to disrupt major criminal networks, including drug traffickers, money launderers and transnational gangs.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle B. Martin and Ashley E. Goff are prosecuting this case.
It is important to note that the charges against Rojas are merely allegations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
