ICE removes Colombian national sentenced for conspiring to import cocaine into the US

PHILADELPHIA — On Monday, March 25, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers removed a citizen of Colombia, convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia of conspiracy to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine.

On March 3, 2015, German Dario Brand-Piedrahita, 53, was sentenced to 144 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine for the purpose of importation into the United States.

Brand-Piedrahita pleaded guilty on Sept, 23, 2014, to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine for the purpose of importation into the United States. According to court documents, Brand-Piedrahita, is a known associate of the Bacrim Los Urabeños (Bacrim). He admitted to his role in the production of large quantities of cocaine in Colombia, and the subsequent transport of the cocaine to other members of the conspiracy for the eventual importation into the United States. Within the conspiracy, he was involved in purchasing cocaine base, producing cocaine, transporting loads of cocaine to the Colombian coast, and coordinating payment for various loads of cocaine. He also assisted in the construction of a cocaine production laboratory in the jungles of Colombia. All told, Brand-Piedrahita was involved in the production and shipment of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine throughout the life of the conspiracy and was held accountable today for the production and distribution of 325 kilograms of cocaine.

On March 7, 2018, ERO Philadelphia lodged an immigration detainer against him with Allenwood Low Federal Correctional Institution in Allenwood, Pennsylvania.

On Feb. 19, he was remanded to ERO Philadelphia custody. On the same date, ERO Philadelphia issued him a Notice and Order of Expedited Removal, charging inadmissibility pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act. ERO officers removed Brand-Piedrahita from the United States and turned him over to Colombian authorities without incident.