Colombian authorities arrest former drug lord Carlos Lehder

Important legal information about the email you will be sending. By using this service, you agree to input your real email address and only send it to people you know. It is a violation of law in some jurisdictions to falsely identify yourself in an email. All information you provide will be used by Fidelity solely for the purpose of sending the email on your behalf. The subject line of the email you send will be "Fidelity.com: "

Colombian authorities arrest former drug lord Carlos Lehder

, Reuters - 9:12 PM ET 3/28/2025 default

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Carlos Lehder, former drug trafficker and one of the founding leaders of the Medellin Cartel, was arrested on Friday by Colombian authorities upon his arrival from Germany on a warrant in the Latin American country.

Lehder was sentenced to life plus 135 years in prison in 1988 after a Florida court convicted him of cocaine trafficking.

His sentence was later reduced by 55 years after he testified against former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, and he was released in 2020 due to health issues.

"Lehder Rivas, who arrived in the country from Frankfurt, presented in our information systems an arrest warrant in force," Colombia migration authorities said on X, adding that the former drug lord had been handed over to the police.

A video from the migration authority showed Lehder in a suit and tie guarded by several agents.

(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra; Editing by Gerry Doyle)

(c) Reuters 2025. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.