August
2001
OPERATION SOUTHERN BRIDGE
In September 1999,
DEAs Special Operations Division - Latin American Section, initiated
an investigation of Victor Hugo Diaz-Guillen and his efforts to recruit
heroin couriers out of Guatemala to the United States. The investigation
resulted in numerous arrests and seizures, as couriers made attempts to
smuggle heroin to places like Albany, Los Angeles, and Sarasota.
In addition, leads
from the investigation pointed authorities in the direction of cells in
Colombia and New York, resulting in a major spin-off investigation in
Los Angeles. This part of the operation revealed a major money laundering
setup and resulted in the seizure of a substantial amount of drug proceeds.
Operation Southern
Bridge was a paragon of how cooperative law enforcement can bring
down a major trafficking organization. |
Further investigation
resulted in the takedown of an operational heroin laboratory in Medellin,
Colombia, in February 2001. The seizure was made by the Colombian National
Police (CNP) with intelligence provided by SOD. Four people, including
two chemists, were arrested, along with the seizure of numerous precursor
chemicals. Subsequently, in April 2001, the CNP and DEAs Bogota
Country Office executed the Colombian takedown of Operation Southern Bridge.
A total sixteen people were arrested, including the main cell hades Julia
Clemency Giraldo-Rios and Elkin Dario Del Rio-Jimenez. In addition to
the arrests, agents seized $120,000, 3 weapons, and one heroin lab. As
a spin-off of the takedown, DEA seized a half-million dollars in New York.
Participating
Offices
Los
Angeles
DEA & U.S. Customs Service |
New
York
DEA, USCS, FBI |
Albany,
NY
FBI |
Newark,
NJ
FBI |
Colombia
DEA - Bogota Country Office
Colombian National Police |
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This investigation
demonstrated the extraordinary cooperation between the several agencies,
particularly between international and domestic components. Furthremore,
this investigation showed the effectiveness of an investigation that began
with the arrest of a low level courier and ended with the takedown of
a major international drug trafficking organization.
To date, Operation
Southern Bridge has resulted in 65 arrests and the seizure of 49 kilograms
of heroin, 18,000 MDMA (ecstasy) tablets, $821,500 in U.S. currency, 1
aircraft, and 3 weapons.
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