Colombian heroin trafficker extradited to face charges in NYC 

A Colombian man suspected of trafficking more than 20 pounds of heroin to New York City was extradited and will be charged in the United States, authorities said on Monday. 

Junior Escobar Miranda was extradited to New York on Friday after Colombian law enforcement agents collected text messages and other evidence showing that he had been smuggling drugs between May and October 2017, the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor said in a statement cited by The New York Post. 

“Escobar Miranda’s extradition to New York City represents law enforcement’s commitment to holding drug traffickers accountable for actions that claim precious lives, even those who believe they are safely beyond our reach,” Special Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said in a statement.

According to the statement, Miranda circumvented the cartels and personally oversaw the operations to import heroin. He allegedly used drug mules or human smugglers to move the drugs from Colombia to the U.S. in suitcases. 

The evidence collected, in particular, the text messages, show how Miranda gave detailed instructions about how to handle the suitcases and where to drop them off in the U.S., according to authorities. 

In 2017, law enforcement officers seized two kilograms of drugs that had been smuggled by Miranda. 

Additionally, Miranda allegedly worked with a Chinese national to launder the money he received for the drugs into his bank accounts in Colombia. 

Miranda is awaiting an arraignment in Manhattan’s Supreme Court.