Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed this Wednesday what until a few weeks ago had been an intense rumor in the corridors of Colombian power: the formal handover to Colombia from Spain of Gerly Sanchez Villamizar, alias “Mono Gerly,” identified as one of the main financial operatives of the guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN, by its acronym in Spanish).
The news, released through his account on the social media platform X, was accompanied by a diplomatic note sent by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Colombian Embassy in Madrid, detailing the approval of Spain’s Audiencia Nacional to authorize his extradition.
For President Petro, this is a fundamental step in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime operating inside and outside Colombia. The president insisted on linking “Mono Gerly” to what he calls the “drug trafficking junta,” a criminal structure that, according to his political and judicial account, has for years managed the illicit finances of armed groups and exported cocaine to international markets.
This approach, which has generated both support and controversy, places Gerly at the center of an intense debate over the relationship between guerrilla groups, drug trafficking, and the Colombian government’s security policies.
Spain extradites alleged ‘drug trafficking junta member’ Mono Gerly to Colombia
The information was confirmed this morning, Wednesday, Feb. 25, by President Gustavo Petro himself in a post on his X account, a text that includes the communication from Spanish authorities to the Colombian Embassy confirming the extradition.
“The extradition to the country from Spain of Mr. Gerley Sanchez Villamizar, who currently operates as a member of the drug trafficking junta, has been achieved. I expect a thorough investigation into his connections and activities in Colombia,” Petro wrote.
The story of this process has as its first major chapter the arrest of alias Mono Gerly on Dec. 3, 2025, in Madrid, following an operation coordinated by Spain’s National Police under an international arrest warrant for money laundering, financing of terrorism, and illicit enrichment.
At that time, Spanish authorities identified him as a member of ELN’s Eastern War Front, a branch of the guerrilla group operating in regions such as Arauca, Casanare, and Boyaca, and which has traditionally been linked to drug trafficking and extortion activities.
The arrest in the Spanish capital was not only an operational blow to the ELN’s financial support network, but also sparked an internal political dispute in Colombia. Petro, shortly after the detention became known, issued strong criticism against the Attorney General’s Office, accusing the agency of delaying the formal extradition request.
At the end of last December, the president said it was “strange” that no swift progress had been made, triggering a public clash between the executive branch and the Attorney General’s Office, headed by Luz Adriana Camargo.
Spain, for its part, followed the corresponding legal course: After the arrest and presentation of the case before the Audiencia Nacional, the Council of Ministers approved Gerly’s surrender to Colombian authorities in accordance with Law 4/1985 on Passive Extradition, leading to the formalization of his transfer.
The diplomatic note sent on Feb. 20 and published by the Colombian government indicates that the corresponding court authorized the extradition under certain conditions, after which the process was carried out.
Se ha logrado la extradición al país desde España del señor Gerley Sánchez Villamizar quien opera hoy como miembro de la Junta del narcotráfico.
Espero una profunda investigación de sus nexos y actividades en Colombia. pic.twitter.com/EUTVIJ1SuH
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) February 25, 2026
A key figure in the ‘Drug trafficking junta’
For Petro, Gerly is not just another ELN militant, but a strategic link in the criminal network connecting drug trafficking, armed groups, and transnational money-laundering structures.
The president has repeatedly insisted that the detainee is part of what he himself has called the “Drug trafficking junta,” a kind of parallel leadership that, according to his narrative, would control cocaine flows and the finances of various illegal groups from Colombia to global financial centers.
This presidential thesis has drawn both support and criticism. His allies argue that the extradition represents a key step forward in the fight against organized crime and that Gerly’s arrival in the Colombian judicial system could shed light on financing networks and international routes.
His critics, on the other hand, question the existence of an organized “junta” as described by Petro, noting that such simplification could serve to politicize the fight against drug trafficking or divert attention from other structural security problems in the country.
Nevertheless, beyond the semantic debate, the fact is that the extradition opens the door to an in-depth investigation into the finances, connections, and criminal activities attributed to Gerly and his circle.
The president has urged judicial authorities to pursue every lead and revelation that may emerge from his testimony and from the review of documents and evidence linking him to illicit operations in Colombia and abroad.
Who is ‘Mono Gerly’?
Behind the alias now echoing through offices in Bogota and Madrid is Gerly Sanchez Villamizar, a man who, according to case files compiled by authorities in both countries, joined ELN in 2004, rose through its ranks, and ultimately became one of the group’s main financial operators.
Investigators identify him as a member of the Central Command — the collective leadership of the criminal organization — with responsibilities that went beyond armed combat: Designing money-laundering schemes and managing networks of shell companies, correspondent banks, and currency exchange houses to channel illicit funds.
Intelligence reports indicate that under his direction, the guerrilla organization’s finances allegedly became more sophisticated through complex transnational mechanisms, both in Europe and Latin America, facilitating the movement of drug trafficking proceeds and their reinvestment in legal or semi-legal assets and operations.
His arrest in Madrid and subsequent extradition testify to the growing internationalization of the armed conflict and its links to global illicit economies.
As Gerly Sanchez Villamizar now awaits his transfer to Colombia, authorities are preparing the judicial logistics that will allow him to be prosecuted based on the multiple charges he faces, including money laundering, terrorism financing, and illicit enrichment.