Leader of Clan Del Golfo, The Colombian Drug Cartel and Terrorist Organization, Charged in Superseding Indictment With Expanded Criminal Conduct and Terrorism Offenses

A fifth superseding indictment was filed yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn against Jobanis de Jesus Avila Villadiego, also known as "Chiquito" and "Chiquito Malo," which added new charges of narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and providing or attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Avila Villadiego was previously charged in multiple superseding indictments with operating a continuing criminal enterprise, international cocaine trafficking, and using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, as well as other drug-related crimes, through his continuing leadership of the Clan del Golfo (CDG), one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world. The fifth superseding indictment extends the end-dates of the continuing criminal enterprise and multiple conspiracies from October 2021 to April 2026. Avila Villadiego remains at large.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Frank A. Tarentino, III, Associate Chief of Operations, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Northeast Region (DEA); and Michael Alfonso, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), announced the charges.

"As alleged, Avila Villadiego presides over a vast narcotics empire that floods the United States with cocaine and serves as a financial lifeline for a designated foreign terrorist organization. This prosecution is about more than just seizing drugs; it is about destroying terrorist organizations while simultaneously stopping the flow of deadly drugs and associated violence into the United States," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "For the Clan del Golfo, narcotics trafficking and terrorism are two sides of the same coin of instability. This fifth superseding indictment demonstrates that we will continue to pursue Avila Villadiego until he is brought to justice before the American legal system."

Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the New York offices of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also acknowledged the significant assistance provided by the Bogota offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as the Justice Department's National Security Division, the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs and Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá, the Colombian Attorney General's Office, and Colombian law enforcement authorities.

"Avila Villadiego allegedly runs a designated foreign terrorist organization responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of illicit narcotics into the United States. The FBI and our law enforcement partners on the NY Homeland Security Task Force are determined to defend the nation by stomping out these terrorist groups and holding accountable their leaders, regardless of where they're hiding," stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.

"Today's superseding indictment against "Chiquito Malo", the leader of the Clan Del Golfo, a Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization, further exposes the ruthless violence, terror, and destruction these criminal networks inflict on our communities," stated DEA Northeast Regional Associate Chief of Operations Tarentino. "Chiquito Malo" led one of the largest cocaine distribution networks in the world, leaving a trail of terror is his path. This is not just drug trafficking, this is narcoterrorism driven by greed, power, and complete disregard for human life. Let there be no mistake: those who lead these organizations are responsible for the poison flooding our streets, the violence in our neighborhoods, and the lives lost to addiction and overdose. The DEA, alongside our federal, state, and international partners, will continue to target, dismantle, and hold these individuals and organizations accountable, no matter where they operate in the world. The DEA will not stop, nor will we slow down. This is our global pursuit mindset; Protecting our communities and saving lives."

"These new charges against Jobanis de Jesus Avila Villadiego, the leader of Colombia's largest transnational criminal organization and a designated foreign terrorist organization, underscore the scale and brutality of a group that fields thousands of armed members, exerts military control over Colombian territory, and, as alleged in court filings, moves multi-ton cocaine shipments ultimately destined for the United States. Under Avila Villadiego's command, Clan del Golfo uses murders, kidnappings, and other violence to protect its profits and attack law enforcement, posing a grave drug trafficking and national security threat to our country and our global counterparts. HSI New York and our Homeland Security Task Force partners will relentlessly pursue Avila Villadiego and his criminal network, wherever they operate and wherever the evidence leads," stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Alfonso.

According to court filings, Avila Villadiego is the principal leader of the CDG, Colombia's largest and most influential cartel. The CDG is one of the most violent and powerful criminal organizations in Colombia, and it is one of the largest distributors of cocaine in the world. With as many as 6,000 members at its peak, the CDG exercises military control over a vast territory in the Urabá region of Antioquia, Colombia, one of the most lucrative drug trafficking areas within Colombia due to its proximity to the Colombia-Panama border and the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Clad in military uniforms, CDG members employ military tactics and weapons to reinforce their power and incite wars and violence against rival drug traffickers, paramilitary organizations, and Colombian law enforcement authorities who threaten the CDG's control.

The prior principal leader of the CDG, Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, also known as "Otoniel," was arrested in October 2021 and extradited to the Eastern District of New York in May 2022. In January 2023, Úsuga David pleaded guilty to operating a continuing criminal enterprise; in August 2023, he was sentenced to 45 years' imprisonment. Avila Villadiego, who previously served as a senior commander of the CDG under Úsuga David, rose to power as the principal leader of the CDG following Úsuga David's arrest.

The CDG, with Avila Villadiego as its principal leader, has continued to be involved in multi-ton shipments of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico and Central America for ultimate importation into the United States. Throughout CDG controlled territory in Colombia, the cartel coordinates production, purchase, and transfer of shipments of cocaine and imposes a "tax" on any drug traffickers operating in these regions. Specifically, the CDG charges a set fee for every kilogram of cocaine that is manufactured, stored, or transported through areas controlled by the CDG. Profits from narcotics trafficking are reinvested into the cartel to support its activities.

The CDG also engages in acts of violence and terrorism, including murders, assaults, kidnappings of law enforcement officers, and assassinations. On December 17, 2025, the United States Secretary of State designated CDG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Secretary of State also designated CDG as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 on December 17, 2025. The CDG remains a designated FTO to date.

Undeterred by the designation, Avila Villadiego has continued to lead the CDG post-designation, and to carry out criminal acts including the provision of material support to the CDG.

The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes these organizations commit, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New York comprises agents and officers from HSI; the DEA; FBI; the New York City Police Department; IRS Criminal Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and U.S. Secret Service, with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York leading this prosecution.

The government's case is being handled by the Office's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Lorena Michelen, Katherine Onyshko, and Rebecca Urquiola are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

JOBANIS DE JESUS AVILA VILLADIEGO (also known as "Chiquito" and "Chiquito Malo")
Age: 49
Uraba, Colombia

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 14-CR-625 (S-5) (DLI)