An accused Colombian narco-terror boss accused of leading a 1,000-member army has been hauled to California to face federal charges that could put him behind bars for life.
Geovany Andres Rojas, 45, known as “Spider,” was extradited from Colombia Thursday and placed in US custody.
Rojas arrived at an undisclosed location in San Diego at 4:30 p.m., surrounded by DEA and FBI agents.
Earlier, he was handed over to US officials during a heavily guarded transfer at a Colombian National Police air base in Bogota. Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella attended the handoff.
“Colombia and the Department of Justice are making a clean sweep of narcoterrorists, starting with Araña,” US Attorney Adam Gordon said.
Federal authorities accuse Rojas of leading Comandos de la Frontera, a heavily armed paramilitary organization with an estimated 1,000 members operating in southwestern Colombia.
Rojas allegedly flaunted his power on social media and in interviews, posing with weapons and heavily armed fighters.
Prosecutors say the group made money from cocaine cultivation and production while using guns and violence to control territory in one of Colombia’s major cocaine producing regions.
“Their cocaine fueled the Mexican cartels pumping poison into our communities,” Gordon said.
Rojas was once a FARC fighter who signed Colombia’s 2016 peace deal before returning to the armed struggle.
He was arrested in Colombia in February 2025 on an Interpol warrant tied to narcotics offenses. His extradition was later approved, but delayed while he took part in peace talks.
President Abelardo de la Espriella ordered him extradited to the US on Aug. 26.
Rojas faces charges of international conspiracy to distribute cocaine and narcoterrorism.
The cocaine conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. The narco terrorism charge carries at least 20 years and up to life.
Rojas is expected to appear at 2 p.m. Sept. 28 before US Magistrate Judge Steve B. Chu.
