Cristóbal Fernández Viamonte, a dual citizen of Cuba and Mexico, was extradited to Mexico from Colombia after being identified as the leader of a transnational human trafficking network for sexual exploitation purposes.

His capture, carried out in Medellín in July 2024, and his subsequent extradition, executed on March 21, 2025, were the result of a joint operation between the National Police of Colombia, the Federal Ministerial Police of Mexico, and Interpol, in a coordinated effort against organized crime.

Fernández Viamonte was sought by the Mexican authorities, specifically by the Judge of the Specialized Circuit Court of the State of Yucatán, for his involvement in the recruitment and transfer of Colombian women to Mexico under false job promises.

There, the victims were sexually exploited, held against their will, and subjected to conditions of modern slavery.

A luxury façade in Medellín to cover up the trafficking network

During the four years that Fernández Viamonte stayed in Colombia, he settled in the exclusive El Poblado neighborhood in Medellín, where he led a life of luxury that allowed him to remain unnoticed by the authorities.

He presented himself as a successful businessman living in a mansion worth millions of Colombian pesos, moving around in armored vehicles and accompanied by private security personnel.

However, behind this facade operated a complex criminal structure dedicated to the recruitment of young women, many of whom were in a state of extreme economic vulnerability, primarily in the cities of Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín.

The victims were deceived with job offers in hotels and nightclubs in Cancun and Merida, which included supposed employment contracts and promises of financial stability.

From recruitment to submission: The modus operandi of the network

Once the offer was accepted, the women were taken to Mexico, where their passports and identification documents were immediately confiscated.

According to the Federal Ministerial Police, the victims were forced to sign fraudulent contracts that indebted them for unpayable amounts under the justification of having financed their travel and stay.

This tactic, known as "debt-bondage," is a common coercion mechanism in trafficking networks.

In Cancun and Merida, the victims were forced into prostitution to repay non-existent debts, under constant threats and in conditions of complete precariousness.

"The victims were trapped in a cycle of exploitation from which they could hardly escape," warns the report from Interpol Mexico.

According to the investigation, Fernández Viamonte's network employed sophisticated methods to traffic women: they used fake invitation letters to evade immigration controls and made bookings in hotels and safe houses where the victims were kept under strict surveillance.

Capture in Medellín and simultaneous strike in Mexico

The arrest of Fernández Viamonte took place on July 10, 2024, at the Milla de Oro Shopping Center in Medellín.

Undercover agents from the National Police, along with Interpol officials, managed to catch the accused while he was shopping.

At the time of his capture, Fernández Viamonte was under the protection of a private security scheme and was traveling in an armored vehicle, measures he had implemented to avoid being detected by authorities.

Simultaneously, in the state of Yucatán, the Federal Ministerial Police captured a suspect known as "La Capitana", considered the second in command of the criminal network. This woman was responsible for receiving victims in Mexico and coordinating their sexual exploitation.

During the operation in Mérida, authorities were able to rescue eight women who were being held and subjected to forced labor.

Interpol Mexico confirmed that the criminal organization led by Fernández Viamonte operated with a high level of sophistication, having a network of collaborators that included recruiters in Colombia, logistical operators, and individuals responsible for the security of victims on Mexican territory.

A millionaire business fueled by exploitation

According to authorities, the criminal organization amassed assets exceeding 8 billion Colombian pesos (around 2 million dollars).

This income came from the systematic exploitation of women who, deceived by the promise of a better future, ended up trapped in a network of forced prostitution.

The seized assets include luxury properties, high-end vehicles, and bank accounts in Colombia and Mexico.

"This network used its economic power not only to keep its operations afloat but also to corrupt intermediaries and hinder the actions of authorities," sources from Interpol cited by the Colombian press stated.

The direct fight against human trafficking

The mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez, celebrated the capture and extradition of the leader of the criminal network and reaffirmed the policy of "zero tolerance" towards this type of crime.

"Medellín is not a refuge for criminals. Thanks to the coordinated efforts between INTERPOL, the National Police, and international authorities, last year we were able to capture Cristóbal Paulino Fernández Viamonte, a Cuban-Mexican citizen, in Parque Lleras," declared the mayor.

In his message posted on social media, Gutiérrez emphasized that the safety of citizens and the protection of the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, are a priority for the local administration.

“We do not stop: we reject, expel, capture, and even extradite any depraved individual or criminal,” he stated.

A binational operation with international support

The extradition of Fernández Viamonte represents a strategic blow in the fight against human trafficking between South America and Mexico.

The operation, which took more than 90 days of coordination between the authorities of both countries, reflects the increasing international cooperation to dismantle networks of sexual exploitation that primarily affect young women of Colombian origin.

The Colombian National Police emphasized that this capture is part of a series of coordinated efforts with international agencies, such as Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) from the United States, to combat human trafficking and other related crimes.

In addition to the arrest of Fernández Viamonte and alias "La Capitana," authorities have opened new lines of investigation to identify other members of the organization and deepen the tracing of assets obtained unlawfully.

Following his extradition to Mexico, Cristóbal Fernández Viamonte will be prosecuted for the crime of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, in a trial that could result in exemplary sentences given the severity of the charges and the scale of the criminal network.

It is expected that new details about other possible individuals involved will also emerge during the judicial process, and that Mexican authorities will succeed in completely dismantling the criminal structure that operated on both sides of the border.