Wilver Villegas-Palomino added to FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list; $5M reward
Wilver Villegas-Palomino (Photo: FBI)
HOUSTON - A reward of up to $5 million is being offered for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of a fugitive whose alleged criminal activity has ties to Houston.
On Thursday, the FBI announced that Wilver Villegas-Palomino, 41, was added to their 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
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According to the FBI, he was charged with narcoterrorism, international cocaine distribution conspiracy, and international cocaine distribution. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Villegas-Palomino in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas Houston Division in 2020.
Federal officials say Villegas-Palomino and five others were involved in a 20-year conspiracy to distribute cocaine from Colombia to the U.S.
According to the FBI, Villegas-Palomino is a ranking member of the transnational criminal organization and foreign terrorist organization National Liberation Army, or Ejército de Liberación Nacional.
Authorities say he is wanted for his alleged involvement in drug trafficking activities for the ELN Northeastern War Front in the Catatumbo region of Colombia and Venezuela.
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The FBI says the ELN-NEWF oversees laboratories that produce around 200 tons of cocaine annually that are then distributed around the world, including the U.S.
"Our commitment to keeping the community safe includes bringing to justice those who fuel and orchestrate the violence in our communities from outside our national borders," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "Palomino’s placement on the FBI’s ten most wanted list reinforces our nation’s partnership with Colombia to combat both terrorism and the spread of dangerous narcotics into the U.S. and around the world."
Federal officials say proceeds from the drug trafficking enterprise are used by the ELN to help fund terrorist attacks, sabotage operations, buy political influence, and fund other activities that aim to destabilize government institutions and subvert U.S. national security and law enforcement interests in the region.
"ELN is a terrorist organization that finances its deadly operations by trafficking dangerous drugs into Houston," said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. "Their drugs destroy lives and communities, and every dollar spent on ELN’s drugs is another dollar that’s spent to threaten our national security. The law enforcement efforts against ELN leader Villegas-Palomino reaffirms our commitment to dismantling and disrupting this very dangerous narco-terrorist group and combatting narco-trafficking."
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Villegas-Palomino is between 5’7" and 5’9" tall, weighs about 190 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. He is a Colombian national and speaks Spanish. The FBI says his aliases include Carlos El Puerco ("Carlos the Hog"), El Puerco, Wilver Villegas, and Wilver Palomino.
For more information on Villegas-Palomino, click here.
You can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. You can also contact the FBI via WhatsApp at (281) 630-0330, or contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.