A Colombian paramilitary leader accused of commanding a 1,000-member drug-trafficking army arrived in San Diego on Thursday to face federal charges that carry the possibility of life in prison.
Geovany Andres Rojas, 45, known by the alias “Spider,” was extradited from Colombia and landed at an undisclosed location in San Diego around 4:30 p.m., escorted by DEA and FBI agents. Earlier that day, Colombian officials transferred him to US custody at a heavily guarded ceremony at a National Police air base in Bogota, attended by Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella.
US Attorney Adam Gordon framed the extradition as part of a broader crackdown on cross-border narcotics networks.
“Colombia and the Department of Justice are making a clean sweep of narcoterrorists, starting with Rojas,” Gordon said.
Federal prosecutors allege Rojas led Comandos de la Frontera, an armed paramilitary group operating in southwestern Colombia with an estimated 1,000 fighters. The organization is accused of using guns and violence to control territory used for cocaine cultivation and production, generating revenue that prosecutors say ultimately reached criminal networks north of the border.
“Their cocaine fueled the Mexican cartels pumping poison into our communities,” Gordon said.
Authorities say Rojas cultivated a public image of power, appearing in social media posts and interviews alongside weapons and armed fighters.
Rojas is a former fighter for FARC, the Colombian guerrilla group, who signed the country’s 2016 peace agreement before allegedly returning to armed activity. He was arrested in Colombia in February 2025 under an Interpol warrant on narcotics-related allegations. His extradition was approved but held up while he participated in peace negotiations, before President de la Espriella ordered him sent to the US on Aug. 26.
Rojas now faces charges of international conspiracy to distribute cocaine and narcoterrorism. The cocaine conspiracy count carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison; the narcoterrorism count carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years, also up to life.
He is scheduled to appear before US Magistrate Judge Steve B. Chu at 2 p.m. on Sept. 28.
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