‘From Putumayo to the Plazas of Tijuana’: Colombian Armed-Group Boss ‘Araña’ Extradited to San Diego on Narco-Terrorism Charges
Geovany Andrés Rojas, alias “Araña” (“Spider”), a Colombian armed-group commander accused of narco-terrorism, was extradited to San Diego on Sept. 25, 2026. There he faces U.S. charges that his cocaine network fed the Mexican cartels fighting over Tijuana, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release issued that day. Rojas, 45, is presumed innocent.
“From Putumayo to Tijuana”
According to the Southern District of California, Rojas led Comandos de la Frontera, an armed group of about 1,000 members in southwestern Colombia. Prosecutors say it profited from growing and producing cocaine in one of the country’s top coca regions. The release says Rojas described the group as part of Segunda Marquetalia, a group of former FARC rebels that the State Department designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2021.
“The Araña extradition sweeps away a web that starts in the mountains of Putumayo and ends in the brutal, cartel contested plazas of Tijuana,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said. He added that Colombian cocaine “fueled the Mexican cartels.” The release does not name a specific Mexican cartel.
A grand jury indicted Rojas in March 2025 on one count of international conspiracy to distribute cocaine and one count of narco-terrorism. Each count carries a mandatory minimum sentence (10 and 20 years, respectively) and a maximum of life in prison. DEA and FBI agents led the investigation, which was part of a Homeland Security Task Force case.
A peace-talks delay, then a handover
Colombia arrested Rojas on Feb. 12, 2025, and its Supreme Court approved his extradition in October 2025, DOJ said. Then-President Gustavo Petro suspended the extradition while Rojas took part in peace talks. On Aug. 26, 2026, President Abelardo de la Espriella ordered it to proceed. DOJ said Rojas was handed over at a police air base in Bogotá. El Tiempo reported that the flight left from the Malambo air base in Atlántico.
What happens next in San Diego
Infobae reported on Sept. 26 that federal prosecutors had asked for Rojas to be held without bail, citing an NTN24 report. According to Infobae, the filing argues that no release conditions could guarantee he would appear in court. Infobae also reported that prosecutors cited a 2010 Colombian conviction carrying a sentence of about 29 years for drug and weapons crimes. Rojas’s first court appearance is set for 2 p.m. on Sept. 28 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve B. Chu.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California, “Alleged Narco-Terrorist Leader ‘Araña’ Extradited from Colombia as Part of Homeland Security Task Force Investigation,” Sept. 25, 2026
- Infobae, “Fiscalía de Estados Unidos pidió prisión preventiva para alias Araña…,” Sept. 26, 2026
- El Tiempo, “Alias Araña, cabecilla de ‘Comandos de Frontera’, fue extraditado a Estados Unidos este viernes,” Sept. 25, 2026
- Photos: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California (public domain); Colombian National Police, via Infobae.
This report is based on the U.S. Justice Department release and on Infobae and El Tiempo coverage as of Sept. 26, 2026. Charges are allegations; Rojas has not been convicted in the U.S. case. The Narco Blog has not reviewed the detention filing directly or independently confirmed the alleged links to Mexican cartels.