Colombian Drug Kingpin Found Guilty by Miami Federal Jury

Colombian drug kingpin Henry de Jesus Lopez Londoño was convicted today by a jury in Miami.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Adolphus P. Wright, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, made the announcement.

A Miami jury found Henry de Jesus Lopez Londoño, a/k/a “Mi Sangre,” 47, a citizen of Colombia, guilty today of conspiring to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine with the knowledge that it would be unlawfully imported into the United States, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 959 and 963.  Sentencing is set for May 30, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. in Miami.  The defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison.

The evidence presented at the six week trial, which included the testimony of special agents from DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, Argentinean National Police, and multiple co-conspirators, showed that the defendant in Colombia was as a leader of the Urabeños, one of the largest and most dangerous drug cartels in the world.  As a leader, the defendant was part of a drug distribution chain spanning from Colombia to Central America, Mexico, and the United States.  The evidence at trial showed that as part of this conspiracy, the defendant was responsible for trafficking over 60,000 kilograms of cocaine.  The evidence at trial also revealed that at one point, Lopez Londoño attempted to cooperate with U.S. law enforcement.  However, when it was discovered that the defendant was lying and committing acts of violence, he became a target of investigation.  That trial evidence further showed that Lopez Londoño had engaged in unauthorized drug trafficking activities while attempting to cooperate. 

U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg stated, “The conviction of Henry de Jesus Lopez Londoño is the result of extraordinary international cooperation. It also reflects years of hard work, commitment and perseverance of our Colombian, Argentinean and U.S. law enforcement partners to stem the flow of cocaine into the United States and bring a major international drug trafficker to justice.”

“Henry Lopez-Londono’s conviction marks the success of the DEA Miami Field Division’s strong alliance and cooperation with our foreign and other U.S. law enforcement partners.” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Adolphus P. Wright.  “As a result of this partnership, we are able to reach out to other parts of the globe to target transnational criminal organizations and bring to justice the leaders of those drug trafficking organizations.” 

The prosecution was part of Operation Golden Eagle, which is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate, and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

Mr. Greenberg would like to commend the DEA Miami Field Division, DEA Bogota Country Office, DEA Buenos Aires Country Office, the Governments of Colombia and Argentina, the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, the Office of the Judicial Attaché in Colombia, and the U.S. State Department for their assistance in this matter.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Emery and Michael B. Nadler.   

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.