New rewards offered for information leading to capture of two FARC leaders
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of State today announced new rewards for information that assists in identifying and bringing to justice two Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) leaders who allegedly participated in corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with high-ranking Venezuelan officials.
Through the U.S. Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program, the U.S. Government is offering rewards up to $10 million each for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Luciano Marín Arango, aka “Ivan Marquez,” 64, a member of the FARC’s Secretariat, which is the FARC’s highest leadership body; and Seuxis Paucias Hernández Solarte, aka “Jesús Santrich,” 53, a member of the FARC’s Central High Command, which is the FARC’s second-highest leadership body. Both Marín Arango and Hernández Solarte are part of the faction of the FARC that disavowed the 2016 Peace Accord with the Government of Colombia. The reward for Marín Arango previously offered up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.
“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 Administrator Timothy J. 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.”
Marín Arango and Hernández Solarte allegedly partnered with Cártel de Los Soles, “Cartel of the Suns,” a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization comprised of high-ranking government officials, to send large shipments of cocaine to the United States. On March 26, 2020, the Department of Justice announced charges against Marín Arango and Hernández Solarte including former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 other current and former Venezuelan officials. Charges include: (1) participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy; (2) conspiring to import cocaine into the United States; (3) using and carrying machine guns and destructive devices during and in relation to, and possessing machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of, the narco-terrorism and cocaine-importation conspiracies; and (4) conspiring to use and carry machine guns and destructive devices during and in relation to, and to possess machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of, the narco-terrorism and cocaine-importation conspiracies.
This investigation is being conducted by the DEA Miami Field Division.
To submit tips on either Luciano Marín Arango or Seuxis Paucias Hernández Solarte, contact DEA at 202-681-8187 or CartelSolesTips@usdoj.gov.
