Jeffersson Arango Castellanos, a 36-year-old Colombian man, has been sentenced to 48 years in a U.S. federal prison for his involvement in the 2020 kidnapping and robbery of two U.S. Army soldiers in Bogota. The soldiers, on a temporary assignment in Colombia, were partying when Castellanos, along with Pedro Jose Silva Ochoa, known as “Tata,” and Kenny Julieth Uribe Chiran, spiked their drinks and coaxed them into a car as they became incapacitated. Surveillance footage showed the soldiers leaving a bar with the two accomplices around 2 a.m., barely able to stand.
The group drove the soldiers to a hotel where they were robbed of their cell phones, wallets, jackets, and jewelry. The next morning, when the soldiers failed to report for duty, a manhunt ensued by U.S. and Colombian officials. One soldier was found wandering the streets and taken to a medical clinic, while the other returned to his apartment with no memory of how he got there. Both soldiers bore bruises and marks, though it was unclear if these resulted from assault or falls. Their credit and debit cards had been fraudulently used. Castellanos was extradited to the U.S. in May 2023 and pleaded guilty in January 2024. Ochoa was also extradited to Miami from Chile to face similar charges, highlighting the severe repercussions for crimes against internationally protected persons.