Houston man placed on FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list

Wilver Villegas-Palomino is a leader of the National Liberation Army
He is wanted for his alleged involvement in narcoterrorism, drug trafficking
Officials are offering up to $5M for information leading to his arrest

Updated: Apr 14, 2023 / 02:57 PM CDT

Wilver Villegas-Palomino, a ranking member of the ELN, was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Officials are offering up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or his conviction.

Photo courtesy: FBI

(NewsNation) — The FBI announced Friday that it had added Wilver Villegas-Palomino to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for his alleged involvement in narco-terrorism and drug-trafficking activities.

Villegas-Palomino, aka ‘Carlos El Puerco,’ is a leader of the National Liberation Army, also known as ELN, a paramilitary narco-terrorism group.

He is wanted for his alleged involvement in drug-trafficking activities for the ELN Northeastern War Front (NEWF) in the Catatumbo region of Colombia and Venezuela, the FBI said.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Villegas-Palomino on Feb. 13, 2020

Villegas-Palomino and five co-defendants were involved in a 20-year conspiracy to distribute cocaine from Colombia to the United States. Three of those co-defendants were extradited to the U.S. in 2021. It was the first time in the group’s nearly 60-year history that members of the ELN had been extradited to the U.S. to face narco-terrorism and drug-trafficking charges.

The FBI asks anyone with information about Villegas-Palomino to contact the FBI via WhatsApp at 281-630-0330. Tipsters may also contact their local FBI office, the nearest American embassy or consulate, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

The U.S. Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program is offering up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.

Villegas-Palomino is the 530th addition to the list.