Government orders extradition of Yepes Mejía to the United States for drug trafficking

The national Government has ordered the extradition of Colombian citizen Gabriel Yepes Mejía to the United States of America for the drug trafficking crimes for which he was requested. The decision was adopted by the President of the Republic through Executive Resolution 393 of 2026, published in the Official Gazette number 53,622 on Thursday, September 10, 2026, on page 2.

The measure revokes the suspension of the delivery that was linked to his participation in the process of the so-called “Total Peace,” as the Executive considers that the circumstances that justified maintaining it have ceased. The resolution was issued in exercise of the power conferred by Article 491 of Law 906 of 2004.

Background of the extradition

The extradition of Yepes Mejía, identified with citizenship ID number 8828277, was originally granted through Executive Resolution 158 of May 20, 2025. In that same provision, it was ordered to temporarily suspend his delivery while the requested party contributed verifiable inputs and concrete results to the process of achieving Total Peace, within the framework of Law 2272 of 2022, as a negotiator in the Peace Dialogue Table with the Comuneros del Sur Guerrilla Front.

The citizen is requested by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, in Case Indictment number 4:22CR167, issued on July 14, 2022, for two charges:

• Charge One: conspiracy to manufacture and distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture and substance with a detectable quantity of cocaine, with the intent that it be illegally imported into the United States.
• Charge Two: manufacturing and distributing five kilograms or more of said substance, knowing that it would be illegally imported into that country.

End of the suspension for Total Peace

The Ministry of Justice and Law, through a letter dated August 12, 2026, requested updated information from the Office of the Commissioner Counselor for Peace regarding the participation of Yepes Mejía in the Dialogue Table. The office responded on August 24, 2026, stating that, upon reviewing the information, no verifiable and concrete results derived from his contributions to the peace process were credited.

In parallel, the Government issued two resolutions on September 3, 2026:

• Executive Resolution 366 of 2026, which revoked the recognition of Yepes Mejía as a representative member of the Comuneros del Sur Guerrilla Front.
• Executive Resolution 365 of 2026, through which the Peace Dialogue Table between the national Government and that armed group was terminated.

Conditions of the delivery

Executive Resolution 393 of 2026 provides that the delivery shall take place once the capture of the citizen is materialized, exclusively for Charges One and Two, and in strict adherence to the conditions imposed on the requesting State. Among the guarantees, it is established that Yepes Mejía shall not be subjected to enforced disappearance, torture, or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, nor to the penalties of banishment, life imprisonment, or confiscation.

The resolution orders that the decision be notified to the citizen or their legal representative, against which no appeal is permitted, and that a copy be sent to the Directorate of International Legal Affairs and the Vice-Ministry of Migratory, Consular Affairs and International Protection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Attorney General’s Office, the Office of the Peace Commissioner Counselor, and the judicial authorities before which proceedings against him are pending.

The decision marks a shift in the Total Peace policy, by conditioning the participation of negotiators implicated in drug trafficking on verifiable results, and reinforces international judicial cooperation with the United States in the fight against transnational crime. For readers, the case highlights the limits between peace agreements and criminal accountability, as well as the weight of extradition commitments on the bilateral agenda.

Source: Official Gazette of Colombia, No. 53.622, September 10, 2026, p. 2 (official reference: Executive Resolution 393 of 2026).