NEW YORK, NY - Roslynn R. Mauskopf, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Julie Myers, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), today announced that an ICE fugitive and accused drug trafficking and money laundering kingpin from Colombia's Norte Valle Cartel has been extradited to the United States.

Jhon Eidelber Cano-Correa (dob 12/13/1963) arrived in New York Friday night, Sept. 22, where he was formally placed under arrest by ICE agents. He had been flown from Colombia aboard a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft accompanied by ICE special agents. Cano-Correa is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Monday, September 25, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. before the Honorable Joanna Seybert of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

In October 2005, the Colombian National Police's "Jungla" unit, working with special agents from the ICE Attaché Office in Bogotá and the Drug Enforcement Administration, captured Cano-Correa in Colombia's Antioquia department after a brief firefight that left one Colombian official wounded.

Cano-Correa is considered one of the most violent and dangerous members of Colombia's Norte Valle Cartel and a significant ICE criminal fugitive. In 2004, the U.S. State Department offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of Cano-Correa and four other Norte Valle Cartel fugitives. Cano-Correa is charged in a July 2004 indictment in the Eastern District of New York with drug and money laundering violations in connection with the Norte Valle Cartel.

Indictments out of the Eastern District of New York in 2003 and 2004 describe the Norte Valle Cartel as Colombia's largest and most feared drug organization. Between 1990 and 2004, the cartel allegedly exported more than 1.2 million pounds of cocaine worth more than $10 billion to the U.S. At one time, the cartel was believed to be responsible for between 30 and 50 percent of the cocaine entering the United States.

ICE Assistant Secretary Myers stated: "The extradition of Jhon Eidelber Cano-Correa, a dangerous ICE criminal fugitive, is yet another example of the unprecedented law enforcement cooperation between U.S. and Colombian authorities. The arrest also demonstrates the value of pursuing the money trail in drug investigations. This case began with a raid on three money transmitting businesses in Queens nearly a decade ago and ultimately led to the highest levels of the Norte Valle Cartel."

"The arrest and extradition of this once-powerful drug trafficker demonstrates our shared commitment to ensure that those who bring illegal drugs into our country will face justice in an American court of law," stated United States Attorney Mauskopf. Ms. Mauskopf thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations for their assistance.

The cartel indictments and Cano-Correa's arrest resulted from a lengthy investigation that began in the mid-1990s and was conducted by the El Dorado Task Force, an ICE-led anti-money laundering task force in New York, as well as by ICE agents in Colombia and Colombian authorities with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The ICE probe initially focused on money transmitting businesses in Queens, New York. ICE agents determined that three of these transmitting businesses were owned by Juan Alberto Monsalve, the Norte Valle Cartel's chief drug distributor in New York. Monsalve was responsible for distributing thousands of kilos of cocaine, laundering more than $70 million, and ordering multiple murders. Monsalve was arrested by ICE agents, convicted, and in May 2002, sentenced to life in prison.

The ICE investigation continued, revealing the structure of the Norte Valle Cartel and leading to charges in Eastern District of New York against its key leaders. The indictments charged Luis Hernando Gomez -Bustamante, a.k.a. "Rasguno," with operating a Continuing Criminal Enterprise in connection with his leadership role in the cartel.

Another accused leader of the cartel, Arcangel de Jesus Henao-Montoya, was charged with drug and money laundering violations. Several other key members of the cartel including Cano-Correa, Dagoberto Rios-Flores, Jose Aldemar Rendon-Ramirez, and Jaime Maya-Duran were charged as well.

• On January 10, 2004, Henao-Montoya was captured in Panama and expelled by Panamanian authorities into ICE custody in New York. Henao-Montoya pleaded guilty on September 30, 2005 and is awaiting sentencing.
• On July 2, 2004, Gomez-Bustamante was detained by Cuban authorities in Cuba after entering that nation on a false passport. He remains in custody in Cuba despite U.S. efforts to extradite him.
• On July 14, 2005, Rendon-Ramirez was arrested outside Medellin, Colombia, by Colombian authorities. Rendon-Ramirez is suspected of serving as a financial officer in the cartel. He is awaiting extradition.
• On September 6, 2006, ICE agents arrested Jaime Maya-Duran, a high-ranking member of the Norte Valle Cartel, upon his arrival in JFK International Airport in New York. The arrest followed Maya-Duran's apprehension in Mexico City.

The search for high-ranking Norte Valle Cartel fugitive Wilmer Varela, also indicted in the Eastern District of New York, continues. The U.S. State Department has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Varela's capture.

-- ICE --