Puerto Rican José Irizarry was a leading agent of the United States Drug Control Administration (DEA) in Colombia. Today he was arrested and charged with money laundering.
The Colombian newspaper Time He published a year ago that Irizarry participated in the capture of dozens of drug traffickers and money launderers and was one of the leaders of that agency’s office in Cartagena, where he had established himself and led a life of luxury.
The accusation against the exagent, against whom 19 charges now weigh, was made from a court in Florida. Associated Press reports that, in addition to Irizarry, the authorities also arrested his wife, Nathalia Gómez.
El Tiempo obtained a copy of the document, in which they declare the Puerto Rican co-participant of a mega-operation of money laundering that involves his wife, who is a native of Colombia, and two conspirators who do not identify, one of them the godfather of his children.
Irizarry was in Colombia from August 2009 to January 2015, and was taken out of Colombia by order of his immediate boss and sent to an office in Washington while the investigation was being carried out on the alleged nexus of Gómez, with the Colombian Diego Marín.
Associated Press indicated in its report that Irizarry resigned from the DEA in January 2018. He added that, before being exposed, Irizarry was an exemplary agent, winning awards and praise from his supervisors. When he was an agent in Miami in early 2009, he was entrusted with an undercover money laundering operation using façade companies, accounts in fictitious banks and messaging.
Although the accusation does not reveal the names of others involved, it is assured that the exaggerated today “used his special position and privileged information for his benefit and that of his accomplices.”
Although he declared bankruptcy, in December 2010 he was dragged several assets that he could not justify.
Gomez created a company (Irizarry and Gomez), in Miramar, Florida, through which they moved large amounts of money.
Part of the funds would have come from a drug trafficking and laundering network of a Colombian accomplice who became the godfather of the children of the DEA agent and the Colombian.
The luxuries and the Ambuila
The investigation refers to a second accomplice, also Colombian, who helped move the funds to the United States. And although they don’t identify him, he says, he was a public official.
It is investigated if his case is linked to Ómar Ambuila, who served as head of cargo control at the Dian and whose daughter acquired a Lamborghini.
“The serial that appears in the indictment is the same as Ambuila’s daughter,” a federal source assured EL TIEMPO.
Money movements were made between 2011 and 2018, by New York, Mexico City, Houston and Atlantic City.
According to the investigation, while the agent delivered false reports or concealed information from his supervisors, he used the information of the DEA for the benefit of his accomplices.
In addition, he bought jewelry, cars and even properties: “His money movements ranged from $ 5,000 to $ 400,000.”
In fact, barely filed for bankruptcy, BMW X-5 was bought in Miami, valued at more than $ 65,000.
Another of the cars is the Lamborghini Huracán, in whose purchase a co-ospirador or accomplice appears, according to the indictment.
The car was purchased for $ 329,000, in April 2016.
In fact, it was enough for him to buy a diamond at Tiffany on December 6, 2013, for which he paid $ 30,000 in cash.
This was confirmed at the store in Bal Harbor, Florida, although, to make the purchase, he presented a false identity. At that time, January 2015, he acquired a house in Cartagena for about $ 767,000.
There is also evidence that it helped bleach at least one million euros to a mafia network in the Netherlands.
Now, the Florida Court will set the date of the trial: “Being a federal agent can face up to 40 years in jail,” said a senior official in Miami.
“It is a blow to the DEA to have one of its agents involved in such a high level of corruption,” said Mike Vigil, former director of International Operations for the agency. However, he gave credit to federal authorities for detecting the criminal plan and filing the charges.
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