A Colombian drug lord who confessed to killing 29 people was nabbed in Orlando last week, after immigration judges had ordered him removed from the U.S. twice in the last decade but deferred the rulings.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrest of Guillermo Perez-Alzate on Thursday, Aug. 7, according to a news release. He is wanted for his alleged involvement in 29 murders and related crimes in Colombia, the agency said.
An ICE Homeland Security Task Force in Orlando took Perez-Alzate into custody, the agency said, without detailing exactly where and when the arrest occurred.
Based on the Federal Bureau of Prisons database, he was released from prison in 2016 after serving time for drug smuggling charges, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
HSI Tampa posted a photo of his arrest on X, noting “In 2017, an immigration judge ordered his removal. It’s time for him to face the consequences of his heinous crimes!”
The worst of the worst! @HSITampa @EROMiami Orlando HSTF has arrested Guillermo Perez Alzate, an illegal alien from Colombia & a former paramilitary leader of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia in Nariño, Colombia, wanted for his alleged involvement in 29 murders &… pic.twitter.com/oI3WjAJIeU
— HSI Tampa (@HSITampa) August 7, 2025
ICE reshared the post on social media, writing “WANTED for his alleged involvement in 29 murders and related crimes! Incredible whole-of-government victory by ICE Tampa and Miami officers and special agents with incredible partners!”
Perez-Alzate is a former paramilitary leader of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia in Nariño, Colombia, according to ICE.
In May 2008, Perez-Alzate and 13 other alleged members of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia were extradited to the United States and arrested by U.S. authorities to face drug trafficking charges, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The paramilitary group, also known as the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), is a transnational criminal organization that used drugs to finance its illegal activities.
The 14 members were charged with various drug trafficking crimes, including conspiracy to import cocaine and conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine into the U.S. Some of the indictments dated back to 1999.
“Fourteen leaders of one of the world’s largest and most powerful drug-trafficking organizations arrived in handcuffs on U.S. soil today,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart, in 2008. “They range from kingpin to bloque commanders who all used the drug trade to finance their illegal activities and poison Americans with multi-tons of cocaine.”
Perez-Alzate faced charges in the Middle District of Florida for his involvement in the drug smuggling operation. His indictment was returned on Dec. 11, 2002, and unsealed on May 13, 2008, according to the DOJ.
A judge sentenced Perez-Alzate to 17 years in prison for conspiracy to import and traffic cocaine in Florida. During his trial in Florida, he told a judge that he murdered 29 people, per the ICE release.
In October 2009, shortly after his sentencing, correctional officers at Georgia’s McRae Correctional Institution arrested Perez-Alzate for conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S.
ICE didn’t provide further information on the circumstances leading to the arrest when contacted by the Orlando Sentinel. Court records show his original release date was set for 2019 due to time served, the Sentinel reported.
A judge later reduced his sentence by 3½ years because of what prosecutors called his cooperation and “substantial assistance” in several cases, court records show. The Federal Bureau of Prisons database said a Guillermo Perez-Alzate was no longer in its custody as of June 2016, the Sentinel reported.
Per the ICE release, an immigration judge in Orlando ordered Perez-Alzate removed from the U.S., but his removal was deferred on Aug. 9, 2016. In 2017, an immigration judge upheld that final order, and again ordered his removal; however, the decision was deferred.
In September 2020, Perez-Alzate was arrested by Interpol’s Department of Justice Washington for a warrant for arrest from a foreign county. The consequences of that arrest were not specified by ICE.
Several other agencies helped apprehend Perez-Alzate. They include HSI Orlando, Enforcement and Removal Operations Orlando, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service, the IRS and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
