In a significant legal development, Aldemar Soto-Charry, 64, a senior member of the notorious Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison after admitting to his role in a large-scale drug trafficking operation. Soto-Charry, known as “El Ingeniero” (“The Engineer”), pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine for importation into the United States.
The case, which was handled by the U.S. District Court, was the result of an extensive investigation led by the DEA and FBI. Soto-Charry’s conviction stems from his involvement in organizing the transport of large quantities of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, with the final destination being the United States.
The DEA’s investigation, which started in 2018, uncovered that Soto-Charry was deeply involved in the FARC’s illegal operations, including laundering drug money through real estate deals in Panama. He even detailed plans to provide up to 2,000 kilograms of cocaine every few weeks to the Mexican Gulf Cartel.
The investigation also saw confidential sources meeting with Soto-Charry and his co-conspirators, discussing the details of large-scale cocaine deals, pricing, purity, and logistics. In exchange for his role in these criminal activities, Soto-Charry was arrested in Colombia in 2019, extradited to the U.S. in August 2024, and pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges.
Soto-Charry’s sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta, who also imposed four years of supervised release upon his release from prison. His co-conspirators, Mauricio Mazabel-Soto and Alfredo Molina-Cutiva, were also sentenced to prison terms of 73 and 70 months, respectively.
This case highlights the ongoing efforts of the DEA, FBI, and international partners in combatting large-scale drug trafficking and the vital role they play in ensuring criminals like Soto-Charry are brought to justice.