By SDCN Editor
A Colombian national pleaded guilty to kidnapping and assaulting two U.S. Army soldiers who were on temporary duty in Bogota, Colombia.
According to court documents, Jefferson Arango Castellanos, 36, and his co-conspirators targeted, incapacitated, and kidnapped two U.S. soldiers in Bogota. On the evening of March 5, 2020, the two victims were in an entertainment district in Bogota. They visited a pub, where Arango and his co-conspirators incapacitated the two victims by putting drugs, including benzodiazepines, in their drinks. They then kidnapped the victims and took their wallets, debit cards, credit cards, and cell phones. Arango and his co-conspirators used one victim’s credit card and the other victim’s debit card to make purchases and withdraw money. The two victims lost consciousness until the following day, by which point they had been separated.
Arango pleaded guilty to kidnapping an internationally protected person, conspiracy to kidnap, assault, and conspiracy to assault. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In May 2023, Arango was extradited from Colombia to the United States under a U.S. extradition request. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogota, and the U.S. Marshals Service worked with Colombian law enforcement authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Arango.
