Colombian man nicknamed ‘Harry Potter’ extradited to U.S. for drugging, kidnapping American troopers

A Colombian man has been extradited to the United States to face expenses of incapacitating and kidnapping two American troopers on short-term responsibility within the Colombian capital of Bogota.

Jeffersson Arango Castellanos, felony alias “Harry Potter,” appeared within the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Friday. 

Mr. Arango, together with co-conspirators, is accused of drugging the 2 troopers as they watched a sporting occasion at a pub in Bogota on March 5, 2020. 

The two troops’ beer was spiked with clonazepam, a sedative and central nervous system depressant of the benzodiazepine class of medicine, by a pair of girls working with Mr. Arango, in accordance to Spanish-language and Miami-based information web site Infobae. 

Security video confirmed one soldier dancing with an unknown girl, and the opposite speaking to a person behind the pub at round 1:25 a.m. native time, after the 2 Americans had already been drugged.

Later footage at round 2:27 a.m. reveals the pair stumbling whereas making an attempt to stroll exterior the pub, and reveals them strolling with the suspects at 2:34 a.m.

The troopers misplaced consciousness, and had been separated by the point every awoke on March 6. The victims had been robbed of their valuables, in addition to credit score and debit card data.

Security footage elsewhere in Bogota purportedly confirmed Mr. Arango taking cash out of ATM machines and making purchases.

Video posted on Twitter by the Colombian El Tiempo newspaper purports to point out one of many suspects leaving one of many victims on the road on the morning of March 6.

Este video, en donde se ve cómo dejan en la calle a una persona tras drogarla y robarla, es una prueba contra la banda de Jefferson Arango Castellanos, ‘Harry Potter’, a quien la Corte Suprema le aprobó la extradición a EE. UU. por atracar de este modo a dos agentes de EE. UU. pic.twitter.com/u1mhBw7MhN

— Justicia EL TIEMPO (@JusticiaET) November 7, 2022

El Tiempo recognized three co-conspirators of Mr. Arango: Kenny Uribe, alias “Hellen”, Himmer Aguirre, and Pedro Silva. 
 
Mr. Arango, Mr. Uribe, and Mr. Aguirre, in keeping with El Tiempo, took plea offers in a separate however related drugged theft case during which a sufferer died, with Mr. Arango being sentenced to 34 years in jail, and the opposite two being sentenced to 17 years in jail.

However, solely Mr. Arango has been extradited up to now; the extradition request for Mr. Uribe was nonetheless within the evidence-gathering stage as of November 2022.

Mr. Arango and co-conspirators are every charged with conspiracy to assault an internationally protected individual, conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected individual, assault of an internationally protected individual, and kidnapping of an internationally protected individual.