"Sodapuppy" Colombian Cocaine & Meth Production Coordinator to Netherlands Arrested

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Jean-Paul Hoyos Bohorquez

One of the most wanted drug traffickers in Europe, Jean-Paul Hoyos Bohórquez, alias "Sodapuppy," was captured in the village of El Crucero in the municipality of San Pedro, Valle, Colombia thanks to the development of Operation "Catarsis II".

According to the authorities, Hoyos is accused of being the head of an international network dedicated to cocaine trafficking with deployment in Mexico, Spain, and the Netherlands. He was wanted by Europol and the Dutch Prosecutor's Office (Netherlands) for drug trafficking.

"This is a momentous blow for the drug trafficking networks since Hoyos was in charge of shipping coca base paste and cocaine hydrochloride together with an international network dedicated to drug trafficking activities from Colombia, as well as the installation of laboratories for the processing of base paste in the Netherlands," said General William René Salamanca, director of the National Police in El Tiempo.

As confirmed by the National Police, Hoyos has a criminal history of more than 15 years, related mainly to drug trafficking activities (commercialization, production, and transformation of cocaine). Hoyos, a native of Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, posed as a merchant in order to maintain international connections and take charge of shipping drugs to other countries, especially the Netherlands.

His methods were based on renting homes in the Netherlands, which were used as laboratories for the processing of coca base paste being transformed into cocaine. In the Netherlands, these laboratories had a production capacity of 1 ton of cocaine per month.

Jean-Paul Hoyos Bohórquez located people in Colombia and Mexico with knowledge in the processing of substances derived from coca paste, helping them move and relocate themselves in homes that he acquired in the Netherlands.

The Dutch-led investigation was also able to tie this suspect to a seizure of 2.5 tons of methamphetamine in 2019. 

He is also associated with laundering large amounts of money. A total of €20,000,000 transferred from the Netherlands to Mexico and Colombia have been linked to him.

Hoyos would have sent approximately €8,500,000 between April 24, 2020, and May 16, 2020, “through the token asset laundering modality; through a trusted network at the service of "Sodapuppy" led by aliases "Hermoso or Viejo" in charge of laundering assets in Colombia resulting from drug trafficking.”

"​​Sodapuppy" used "secure instant messaging" apps for mobile devices, such as "Encrochat" in order to communicate with drug traffickers of Mexican and Colombian nationality, and thus coordinate the purchase and shipment of coca base paste to the Netherlands.

Apparently, his network would be at the service of "Boliqueso," a Colombian drug trafficker. ​​Sodapuppy was hired by the criminal organization and participated in drug shipments; he was in charge of supervising the work, extracting the product, selling it, and collecting the money in the Netherlands.

Europol deployed one of its experts to Colombia and funded the deployment of a Dutch investigator to assist the national authorities with his arrest. Colombia also deployed three investigators to Europol’s headquarters to work jointly on this case with Europol and their counterparts in EU Member States.

Sources: Europol, El Pais