United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Caribbean Division announced the successful extradition of Nixon Manuel Marino-Carreño from Colombia to Puerto Rico, where he will face federal drug trafficking charges in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Marino-Carreño was arrested in Colombia on March 10, 2025, at the request of U.S. authorities and extradited to Puerto Rico on April 17, 2026.  

According to court documents, beginning no later than May 2024, Marino-Carreño allegedly conspired with others to import and attempt to import cocaine from Venezuela and Colombia into the United States. He is also charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine aboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.  

If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life imprisonment.  

“This extradition underscores DEA’s unwavering commitment to dismantling transnational criminal organizations that threaten the safety and security of our communities,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Martínez of the DEA Caribbean Division. “Working alongside our international and federal partners, we will continue to pursue those who traffic deadly narcotics into the United States—no matter where they attempt to hide.”

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá and the Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Marino-Carreño.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille García of the Asset Recovery, Money Laundering, and Transnational Organized Crime Division is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), a whole-of-government initiative designed to disrupt and dismantle criminal cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and trafficking networks operating both domestically and abroad. HSTF San Juan includes federal, state, and local partners working collaboratively to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for driving violence and narcotics trafficking throughout Puerto Rico and beyond.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.