Eight held in Colombia for US extradition, one accused of moving $42M in crypto

Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office announced Wednesday that eight people were arrested in Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cajicá and Maicao for extradition to the United States on drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges. Nassim Orfale Vásquez was detained in Barranquilla; the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York seeks him over an alleged network that laundered drug money through cryptocurrency and about $42 million in suspicious transfers since 2018. The other seven, including alleged ringleader Guillermo Carpio Cárdenas, are wanted by the U.S. District Court for Puerto Rico on international drug-trafficking, money-laundering and conspiracy charges; prosecutors allege they moved proceeds through tokens, third-party transfers and split deposits. All eight face Colombian extradition proceedings, which involve judicial and administrative reviews before any final handover decision.