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Willington Henao Gutiérrez, known as “Mocho Olmedo” is one of
the leaders of the 33rd front of FARC EMC, a rebel group with
around 400 fighters that operates in the northeastern Catatumbo
region. He is wanted in the U.S. for drug trafficking and money
laundering and his extradition was approved by Colombia’s
Supreme Court in May.
But in a resolution published on June 26, and revealed by
Colombian media on Tuesday, Petro ordered the suspension of
Henao’s extradition, mandating him to provide "verifiable
contributions and concrete results” to peace talks between the
33rd front and the Colombian government. The resolution says
that if Henao fails to contribute to talks, he will be handed
over to U.S. authorities.
Henao, in Colombian government custody since February, is the
second rebel leader to have his extradition suspended by Petro
this year. In May, the government delayed the extradition of
Gabriel Yepes Mejía, a commander of the Comuneros del Sur rebel
group also facing drug trafficking charges.
In June, Colombia’s newly appointed justice minister, Eduardo
Montealegre, told Colombian newspaper El Tiempo that the Petro
administration would suspend the extradition of rebel leaders
who agree to participate in peace talks — even if that strains
relations with the United States.
Henao was indicted by a Florida court in 2023 on drug
trafficking and money laundering charges, with prosecutors
alleging he conspired to ship 115 kilos (253 pounds) of cocaine
to the U.S.
The Petro administration and the U.S. government have often
clashed over drug policy, with U.S. officials urging Colombia to
do more to reduce coca crops and warning that future cooperation
on security depends on concrete results in the fight against
drug trafficking.
Colombia’s first leftist government has staged peace talks with
numerous rebel groups and drug gangs in an effort to improve
security in rural areas, where groups like the FARC-EMC have
filled the void left by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, the guerrilla group that made peace with the
government in 2016.
But the talks have yielded few results so far, with human rights
groups saying that extortion, forced displacement and the
recruitment of children are on the rise.
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