The United States is offering rewards of up to $10 million each for information leading to an arrest or conviction of two former leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebel group known as FARC.
The U.S. State Department and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced the hefty rewards on Thursday and said in a news release that Seuxis Hernandez Solarte and Luciano Marin Arango, better known by their aliases Jesus Santrich and Ivan Marquez, have “a long history of involvement in drug trafficking activities, which resulted in their criminal indictments.” The two are former leaders in FARC.
The duo helped with the 2016 peace deal between FARC and Colombia’s government, which was then led by President Juan Manuel Santos. Despite their assistance with the historic agreement, Marquez and Santrich eventually became part of a faction that disavowed the peace accord, and they were later accused of continuing to traffic drugs through the region.
Marquez disappeared two years ago after his nephew was arrested and brought to the U.S. to assist with drug trafficking investigations. Santrich was indicted in the U.S. for alleged drug trafficking in 2017. He was arrested in 2018 but later released by Colombia, pending an investigation and then also disappeared.
Marquez and Santrich were seen in 2019 for the first time since their disappearances when they released a video, purportedly filmed in the Amazon, announcing an offensive against the Colombian government. The video was condemned by the government and by FARC’s political party, which said it still supports peace.
According to the DEA, the two are thought to be partnered with the Venezuelan drug trafficking organization Cartel de Los Soles, “Cartel of the Suns,” which moves large quantities of cocaine into the U.S.
“DEA and our partners are committed to dismantling narco-terrorist organizations such as the FARC, and the corrupt political regimes that support them,” said acting DEA Administrator Timothy Shea. “For decades, the FARC has used drug trafficking to finance their terrorist activities, and partnered with corrupt Venezuelan elites to threaten United States and our allies.
“We hope these increased rewards will encourage those with valuable information to contact the DEA and, ultimately, bring to justice those seeking to harm the United States and betray the citizens of Venezuela,” he added.
Despite the signing of the 2016 treaty, cocaine production in Colombia has grown in recent years. According to the U.S., the production of the narcotic increased by 8% in 2019 to record levels.
