Colombia orders probe into ex-first lady drug trafficking claims

President Abelardo de la Espriella ordered the Colombian Air Force to conduct an exhaustive investigation into claims published by Semana magazine. The probe targets personnel involved in CATAM operations linked to alleged official flights by former first lady Verónica Alcocer.

The president also asked the Attorney General's Office, Supreme Court, Prosecutor's Office, and U.S. authorities to pursue investigations within their jurisdiction. The directive follows an interview with Eva Ferrer, a former presidential advisor for children's affairs and one-time friend of Alcocer.

“It seems there are photos of Verónica descending from the plane with gray suitcases in which there was drug and there was movement of capital from there to here and from here to there.”

Ferrer alleged that Alcocer made confidential trips to Venezuela aboard aircraft assigned to the first lady's office. She claimed Alcocer transported drugs on outbound flights and returned with $2.5 million in cash in January 2023, money Ferrer said was intended to fund the political campaign of Alcocer's cousin, Mario Fernández Alcocer.

Ferrer stated that Manel Grau, described as an advisor, confirmed the presence of drugs on those flights. She also mentioned photographs allegedly showing Alcocer descending from a plane with gray suitcases containing narcotics, though Ferrer acknowledged she had not seen the images herself.

The accusations extend to alleged money laundering in Spain and Italy through high-value property purchases, including a 3-million-euro residence reportedly arranged via former ambassador Eduardo Ávila. Ferrer named Carolina Plata, Danilo Romero, and Enrico Romagnoli as part of a purported front network.

Semana separately reported that prosecutor Lucy Laborde had opened a reserved money-laundering investigation into Alcocer within the case against Nicolás Petro. Laborde was removed from the post before the inquiry advanced, and a specially appointed prosecutor took over the file.