Colombia grants the extradition of Josemaría Ruiz Migoya to the United States

The Government of Colombia granted the extradition to the United States of America of the Mexican citizen Josemaría Ruiz Migoya, alias “Tito,” requested to appear at trial for the crimes of conspiracy, money laundering, and trafficking of illicit drugs. The decision was adopted through Executive Resolution number 355 of 2026, signed on September 2 and published in edition 53,614 of the Official Gazette on Thursday, September 3, 2026.

The requested individual, identified with Voter Registry number RZMGJS90022209H900 and Unique Population Registry Code (CURP) number RUMJ900222HDFZGS08, is named in a Formal Indictment issued on May 24, 2024, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, in Case number 24-cr-177-PAB (also referred to as 1:24-cr-00177-PAB).

Diplomatic and Judicial Process

The request began with Note Verbale number 2545 of December 16, 2025, through which the Embassy of the United States requested provisional detention for extradition purposes. In response, the Attorney General of the Nation decreed the arrest on December 19, 2025, which was carried out on January 8, 2026, by members of the Criminal Investigation Section DIRAN of the National Police.

The request was formalized by Note Verbale number 0259 of March 2, 2026. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Directorate of International Legal Affairs, provided its opinion via Official Letter number S-DIAJI-26-007156 of March 3, 2026, and the Ministry of Justice and Law forwarded the file via Official Letter number MJD-OFI26-0010131-GEX-10100 of March 9, 2026.

Favorable Opinion of the Supreme Court

The Criminal Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, through a ruling on July 15, 2026, issued a favorable opinion for the extradition after finding that the legal requirements had been met. The surrender was conditioned on the requesting State guaranteeing that the citizen will not be subjected to forced disappearance, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, nor to penalties of banishment, life imprisonment, or confiscation, pursuant to Article 494 of Law 906 of 2004.

The charges for which the extradition is granted are:

• Count One: conspiracy to laud monetary instruments, in violation of section 1956 of title 18 of the United States Code.
• Count Two: conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of sections 841 and 846 of title 21 of the United States Code.

Conditions and Execution of the Surrender

Executive Resolution number 355 of 2026 orders the surrender of the citizen to the requesting State under the commitment to comply with the conditions of article 494 of Law 906 of 2004. Once the formal commitment is received, the Ministry of Justice and Law will send a copy of the decision and the guarantees to the Attorney General’s Office to proceed with placing the claimed person at their disposal.

The act warns that the extradited person may not be subjected to a penalty other than that imposed in the sentence nor tried for a crime other than that which motivated the extradition. The resolution, signed by the Minister of Justice and Law, Abelardo de la Espriella, and the Vice Minister, Iván Alfonso Cancino González, was issued in Bogotá on September 2, 2026, and also notified to the Embassy of the United Mexican States in Colombia.

The decision reinforces Colombia’s international judicial cooperation against fentanyl trafficking, one of the most serious threats to public health in North America, and consolidates the extradition mechanism with fundamental guarantee conditions as a tool in the fight against transnational organized crime.

Source: Official Gazette (Colombia), Year CLXII No. 53,614, Thursday, September 3, 2026, Public Power section – Executive Branch, p. 17 (official reference: Executive Resolution number 355 of 2026).