Four men suspected of involvement in international drug trafficking have been extradited from Guinea-Bissau to the United States and appeared in federal court in Fort Lauderdale today. The suspects—Ramon Manriquez Castillo, 68, a dual U.S.-Mexican national; Edgar Rodriguez Ruano, 29, of Mexico; Fernando Javier Escobar Tito, 48, of Ecuador; and Anderson Jair Gamboa Nieto, 30, of Colombia—were surrendered to U.S. authorities on April 16 following a coordinated international law enforcement operation.
According to a newly unsealed federal indictment, the men are accused of participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy from November 2023 to September 2024. The charges allege they used a U.S.-registered aircraft, operated with a U.S. citizen on board, to transport large quantities of cocaine through Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Guinea-Bissau.
The case stems from a major operation in September 2024 when authorities in Guinea-Bissau arrested the suspects and seized approximately 2.6 metric tons of cocaine. The arrests and subsequent extradition were the result of close collaboration among the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, its Judicial Police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. Embassy in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau.
The defendants face federal charges that could carry prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life if convicted. They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Hunt in the Southern District of Florida.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, DEA Miami Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter, and FBI Washington Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan. The DEA Miami Field Division and the FBI Washington Field Office are leading the investigation, with support from the U.S. Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Ustynoski.
This prosecution is part of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative, which targets high-level criminal organizations through an intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. It also falls under Operation Take Back America, a national strategy aimed at dismantling transnational criminal networks and enhancing public safety.
Authorities emphasize that the indictment represents allegations only. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.