Former Colombian footballer José John Jiménez Guzman has been charged with drug trafficking and money laundering in a high-profile case in the South American country.
Jiménez, who played for clubs including América de Cali during his professional career, is alleged to have illegally laundered around £2.75m.
The former Colombian youth international is understood to be under investigation for alleged ties to the ‘Los Comba’ gang.
Capturan a José John Jiménez,ex-jugador del América de cali,1988 a 1993 por nexos con el narcotráfico sera extraditado a eeuu.@OroDeportes pic.twitter.com/TCLLUruKVi
— Amilcar Mina (@amilcar_deporte) March 14, 2017
According to Colombian publication Noticias Caracol, Colombian and American courts are coordinating to arrange his extradition to the United States, as well as that of two other individuals, named as Fernando Vidal, known as ‘El Soldado’, and Severin Valencia, who is said to go by the alias ‘Chigua’.
Jiménez is currently being held in a maximum security prison in Bogotá, according to local reports.
A statement from general Jorge Luis Vargas, director of the Dijin de la Policía, reads as follows:
“[The three people arrested are] related to the organization Calle Serna [aka Los Comba] and were dedicated to laundering money in informal merchandise trade centers in Cali.”
The Daily Mirror also reports the following police statement:
“The resources from the drug trafficking were deposited in the US by this man through the charging of pre-paid cards.
“The money was taken into Colombia and then delivered to the criminal gang.”
