High Level Drug Trafficker Extradited to the United States from Colombia to Face Drug Trafficking Charges

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Today, Colombian authorities extradited Consolidated Priority Organizational Target (CPOT) Jose Orlando Buitrago-Rodríguez, also known as “Tito el Borracho” or “Tito” or “El Borracho,” to the United States to face drug trafficking charges filed in the District of Puerto Rico. United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico and Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office, made the announcement.

On January 27, 2023, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an Indictment against Buitrago-Rodríguez charging him with international conspiracy to distribute cocaine for the purpose of unlawful importation, importation of cocaine, and attempt to import cocaine. The Indictment also includes a narcotics forfeiture allegation regarding 14 real properties and five vehicles. 

Buitrago-Rodríguez was the leader of a transnational criminal organization (TCO) based in Colombia. This TCO sent many shipments totaling over ten thousand kilograms of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela to Puerto Rico and the continental United States, often through the Dominican Republic. Once successfully smuggled into Puerto Rico, drug traffickers then smuggled the majority of the cocaine into the continental United States for further distribution.

The Attorney General designated Buitrago-Rodríguez as a CPOT in 2022. The Attorney General’s Interagency CPOT list is comprised of leaders who exercise “command and control” of the elements of the most prolific drug trafficking/money laundering organizations that have the greatest impact on the United States’ illicit drug supply.  The CPOT list represents the “most wanted” of the cartel leadership and ensures that the full capabilities of the U.S. government are focused, in a coordinated and clear manner, on a group of agreed-upon high-level targets.

“This prosecution and extradition demonstrate the Department of Justice’s relentless efforts to eliminate international drug cartels flooding our streets with deadly drugs and to bring their leaders to justice,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow.  “This case also highlights the strategic and critical role that Puerto Rico plays in defending our nation against TCOs, cartels, and foreign terrorist organizations.

“This capture is another step in our fight to crush violent crime. It reflects what our mission demands—relentless pursuit, disciplined execution, and zero tolerance for those who threaten our communities,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “We will hunt down the drivers of violence—wherever they run, however long it takes.”

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the collaboration of partner agencies Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, United States Coast Guard, Internal Revenue Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations HSI, and the San Juan Puerto Rico Municipal Police.

On January 22, 2024, in coordination with foreign officials, Buitrago-Rodríguez was located and arrested in Colombia at the request of the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition from Colombia. The Department of Justice also recognizes the significant collaboration provided by authorities in Colombia.

In July 2025, the government of Colombia conducted an asset seizure operation related to Buitrago-Rodríguez based, in large part, on the United States Indictment and investigation, seizing 18 properties, including vehicles, land lots, farms, houses, and commercial establishments. The value of all the items seized was approximately $6,769,988.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio L. Pérez-Alonso under the supervision of Chief Myriam Y. Fernández-González and Deputy Chief María L. Montañez-Concepción from the Asset Recovery, Money Laundering, & Transnational Organized Crime Section.

If convicted, Buitrago-Rodríguez faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison for all the drug trafficking charges.

This prosecution and extradition are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the below-listed federal agencies with the prosecution in this case being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico: 

(1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation; (2) U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations – SAC San Juan; (3) the United States Attorney’s Offices for the District of Puerto Rico and the District of the United States Virgin Islands; (4) the United States Marshals Service for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; (5) U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Office of Field Operations San Juan Field Office; (6) U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Caribbean Air and Marine Branch; (7) U.S. Border Patrol – Ramey Sector; (8) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Caribbean Division; (9) U.S. Coast Guard – Sector San Juan; (10) U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; (11) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) - Puerto Rico / Virgin Islands; (12) Internal Revenue Service; (13) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Miami Field Division – RAC San Juan; (14) U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Miami Division, San Juan Field Office; (15) United States Secret Service – RAC San Juan; (16) Transportation Security Administration – Federal Air Marshal; and (17) Federal Aviation Administration.

In addition, the following state and local law enforcement agencies participate with and provide resources to the HSTF: (1) Puerto Rico Police Department; (2) San Juan Municipal Police Department; (3) Carolina Municipal Police Department; (4) Guaynabo Municipal Police Department; (5) Barceloneta Municipal Police Department; (6) Ponce Municipal Police Department; (7) Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; (8) Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; (9) Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); (10) Puerto Rico Port Authority; and (11) Virgin Islands Police Department.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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