The White House has intensified pressure on Colombia and Venezuela over the case of Serbian drug boss Antun Mrdeža, after a U.S. intelligence report linked him and Colombian criminal Đovani Andres Rohas, known as “Araña,” to a transnational drug trafficking network.

According to the report, Rohas is the leader of the group “Border Commandos” and is currently imprisoned in La Picota prison in Bogotá. He entered into illegal agreements with Mrdeža, who has been detained in Venezuela since 2025.

As a result, the issue of their extradition has become a diplomatic matter between Washington, Bogotá, and Caracas.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has requested the extradition of both men, and the topic dominates talks between the leaders of the three countries.

Diplomatic maneuvers between Bogotá and Caracas

The expected meeting between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez will carry broader significance than merely improving bilateral relations.

Colombia is expected, according to government sources, to request Mrdeža’s transfer from Venezuela following his escape in 2023 from Rionegro Airport near Medellín. Once in Colombia, the United States would then formally seek his extradition.

Mrdeža, also known by the nickname “Nikola Boroš,” is, according to Colombian authorities, part of the so-called “New Drug Trafficking Directorate” — a network linking Latin American and European drug lords for the transport of large quantities of cocaine.

Escape, alliances and re-arrest

After his spectacular escape from the airport in 2023, Mrdeža reportedly met with associates responsible for finances and money laundering, and then traveled to the Putumayo region in the Amazon jungle, where he allegedly formed an alliance with Rohas for drug trafficking.

Those meetings were, according to documents, recorded by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, which led to an Interpol warrant for Rohas.

Mrdeža later traveled to Ecuador and then to Venezuela, where he was arrested on May 22, 2025. His arrest was announced by Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.

The report also links him to Alejandro Salgado Vega, known as “El Tigre,” one of Spain’s most wanted drug traffickers, sought by Spain for smuggling cocaine worth over 100 million euros.

Colombian partner in custody

Đovani Andres Rohas remained free until February 2025, although U.S. authorities had identified him as one of Mrdeža’s cocaine suppliers. He had been appointed as a peace negotiator with the armed group “Border Commandos,” which suspended warrants against him.

However, he was arrested at the Marriott hotel in Bogotá during a meeting with government delegates, at the request of the United States. Since then, he has been held in La Picota prison awaiting President Petro’s signature for extradition.

The Colombian government has delayed the decision for nearly a year, stating that extradition could jeopardize peace negotiations with a dissident group linked to the “Border Commandos.”

Between international pressure and political calculations

At the end of January, President Petro issued an ultimatum to Rohas — his group had to destroy 15,000 hectares of coca crops in Putumayo within 10 days. The deadline expired, but a decision on extradition has still not been made.

The case of “Araña” thus stands between strong international pressure, particularly from Washington, and the political calculations of the Colombian government attempting to preserve the peace process.

Meanwhile, the request of the Donald Trump administration for extradition remains pending.

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Source: Kurir; Foto: Policia Nacional de Colombia

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