Colombian to remain in custody

Colombian Diego Rojas, who was arrested in 2003 on charges of drug trafficking, will remain in jail despite arguments that he has already served as much time as he would have had he been convicted.

His lawyers submitted a brief to criminal court judges stating that Rojas, whose case has not yet come to trial, faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison for drug trafficking.

Rojas has been in prison since his arrest in April 2003 during a drug operation codenamed “Trance” by police. In that operation, authorities seized 540 kilograms of cocaine that was hidden inside several trucks.

Rojas' lawyers argued that the case, which also includes charges of money laundering, should be dismissed.

Criminal Court Judge María Lourdes Ortiz, however, said that Rojas will continue to be held until his trial because his case involves international drug smuggling, which carries a longer sentence than the five years cited by defense attorneys.