A former Colombian general pleaded guilty on Monday to having ties with a right-wing paramilitary group that the U.S. considers a terrorist organization.
The retired general, Mauricio Santoyo, turned himself into U.S. authorities last month.
Santoyo on Monday admitted his ties with the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), but denied that he conspired to smuggle drugs into the U.S., according to AFP. Between 2001 and 2008, he supported the right-wing group, which smuggled tons of cocaine into the U.S.
“During the course of this conspiracy, high-level AUC members and associates would pay substantial bribes to the defendant in exchange for the defendant’s assistance in their operations, which included the commission of terrorist acts and drug-trafficking,” the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement, reported the news agency.
]In 2011, former President Alvaro Uribe’s cousin, Mario, admitted he had ties with the AUC. The former president, however, denied he had any links with the organization.
The AUC was responsible for a spate of mass killings in Colombia to kill off left-wing guerrillas, mainly targeting the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which itself committed atrocities and human rights violations. FARC is also considered a terrorist organization by the U.S.
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