A former Colombian army intelligence officer has been handed a 65-month prison sentence for scheming to smuggle nearly 10 kilos of cocaine into the United States, authorities in Washington D.C. reported. Jairo Aldres Alzate Milan, who also goes by "Llorente" and "Andres Millan," 36, entered a guilty plea earlier in May to a charge concerning the distribution of a half-kilo or more of cocaine intended for U.S. importation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced.
Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the DEA Washington Division, alongside FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office, joined U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro in making the sentencing announcement. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Milan had met with an individual in January 2019 to foster a drug trafficking connection, confirming that all the "cargo" was bound for the U.S. During his arrest in Colombia on May 22, 2021, and following an extradition process, Milan was delivered to U.S. authorities on September 12, 2024.
Over the course of their meetings, Milan and the unnamed individual hashed out the nitty-gritty of getting the cocaine stateside, even weighing the logistics of utilizing cargo planes for transport. During a recorded exchange in Cali, Colombia on March 5, 2019, Milan confirmed that he had the promised "10," indicating the amount in kilograms of cocaine headed for New York. In exchange for the drugs, Milan pocketed about $13,000 worth of Colombian currency, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Testing carried out by the DEA Mid-Atlantic Laboratory on nine of the 10 bricks sealed the case, confirming the presence of cocaine in each sample. The investigation led by the FBI Washington Field Office ultimately culminated in this week's sentencing by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who also imposed a four-year term of supervised release to follow Milan's prison stay. In the statement detailing Milan's guilty plea, he acknowledged his role in distributing the 9.85 kilograms of cocaine with the express purpose of it reaching American soil, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Peter Roman from the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section prosecuted the case, which has now concluded with Milan’s sentencing and pending incarceration. The judiciary process emphasized international cooperation and the severity of cross-border drug trafficking offenses, as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
