Colombian Nationals Sentenced to 35 and 30 Years in Prison for Plot to Murder American Soldiers

MIAMI -Colombian nationals Andres Fernando Medina Rodriguez, 40, and Ciro Alfonso Gutierrez Ballesteros, 31, were sentenced today to 420 and 360 months in prison, respectively, for conspiring and attempting to murder U.S. soldiers by detonating a car bomb outside a military base near the Colombia-Venezuela border.

"Our most urgent mission and highest priority is to hold those accountable who target Americans, to include the brave men and women who serve as members of our uniformed services domestically and around the world," stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. "As seen by the prison sentences imposed upon defendants Medina Rodriguez and Gutierrez Ballesteros today, individuals who threaten the safety and security of the United States and our fellow Americans will face the full force of our nation's criminal justice system."

"Crime doesn't stop at our borders and neither does the FBI's commitment to investigate criminal acts against our military overseas," stated Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI's Miami Field Office. "We work closely with our international partners and security services around the globe to conduct complex investigations and acquire evidence from abroad for criminal prosecutions in the United States. This capability is vital to our work. In this case, I especially want to thank the Fiscalía General de la Nación de Colombia, the Colombian National Police, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, the Department of Justice's National Security Division, the DOJ Office of International Affairs, the DOJ Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Embassy Bogotá for their diligence and professionalism throughout this investigation."

According to court records, Medina Rodriguez and Gutierrez Ballesteros, in concert with members of the 33rd Front, an extremist faction of Las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias ("FARC"), targeted American troops stationed at the Colombian 30th Army Brigade Base in Cúcuta, Colombia. Medina Rodriguez used his status as a medically discharged Colombian army officer to gain access to the base, where he conducted photographic and video surveillance of the areas where the U.S. soldiers were located.

Approximately ten days before the attack, Medina Rodriguez and Gutierrez Ballesteros delivered a white SUV to their co-conspirators in the 33rd Front, who loaded it with an improvised explosive device.

On June 15, 2021, Medina Rodriguez drove the bomb-laden SUV to the 30th Army Brigade Base, parking it in front of the location where U.S. and Colombian military personnel worked. Gutierrez Ballesteros, riding a motorcycle, escorted Medina Rodriguez. Medina Rodriguez activated the bomb's timer device and left the area on foot before fleeing on the motorcycle driven by Gutierrez Ballesteros. Three U.S. Army soldiers and forty-four Colombian military personnel were injured in the blast.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the FBI Legal Attaché in Bogotá, Department of Defense, Fiscalía General de la Nación de Colombia, and Colombian National Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Browne and Abbie D. Waxman of the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorney David C. Smith from the Justice Department's National Security Division represented the United States at sentencing. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy A. Hummel and Andy R. Camacho contributed significantly to the investigation and prosecution of this matter.

The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section's Office of the Judicial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá worked with Colombian authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Gutierrez Ballesteros and Medina Rodriguez.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-20054.

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