In a high-security operation early this morning, Colombian authorities extradited Andres Felipe Marin Silva, the notorious leader of the criminal organization “La Inmaculada,” to the United States.
The move comes just hours before a pivotal White House meeting between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and US President Donald Trump.
Known by the alias “Pipe Tulua,” Marín Silva was transported under the cover of darkness from a police station in central Bogotá to the police’s anti-narcotics headquarters near El Dorado International Airport. The operation involved more than 70 officers, drones, and the “Halcón” police helicopter.
Authorities were on alert for an escape plot
Authorities were on high alert for potential rescue attempts or escape plots, deploying anti-explosive units to 17 critical points across the capital, including pedestrian and vehicle bridges.
According to reporting by EL TIEMPO, Colonel Elver Alfonso Sanabria, director of the DIJIN, said, “The materialization of the extradition of alias Pipe Tuluá leaves in evidence a solid and effective work of cooperation between the United States and Colombia.”
🔴 Andrés Felipe Marín, alias Pipe Tuluá, extraditado a EE. UU. en la antesala de la reunión entre los presidentes Petro y Trump ⬇️ https://t.co/2Ft2Gf6qYA pic.twitter.com/rEVoNrBKSG
— EL TIEMPO (@ELTIEMPO) February 3, 2026
Marin Silva, who has a criminal career spanning more than two decades, was already serving a 30-year prison sentence in Colombia for murder, extortion, and conspiracy. Despite his incarceration, officials maintain he continued to direct the criminal activities of La Inmaculada from his cell.
La Inmaculada’s boss faces a drug trafficking indictment in the US
In the United States, Marin Silva faces an indictment in the Eastern District of Texas for coordinating the shipment of large quantities of cocaine. US investigators allege he worked in alliance with major organizations, including the Sinaloa and La Línea cartels in Mexico and the Oficina de Envigado in Colombia, to move narcotics through Central America and Mexico into cities like Dallas and Denver.
The timing of the extradition is significant, as the delivery of high-profile criminal leaders has been a sensitive point in the bilateral relationship. Marin Silva had previously sought to be recognized as a “peace manager” under President Petro’s “Total Peace” policy, a status that has stalled or prevented extraditions in other cases. However, exploratory talks with La Inmaculada failed to progress and were eventually frozen.
The extradition order was finalized after the Colombian Supreme Court issued a favorable opinion on three drug trafficking charges and President Petro signed the final decree. Following his arrival in the US, Marin Silva is expected to appear before a federal court in Texas to face charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy.