Southwest
Colombian drug lord arrested in Texas
The second-in-command of a violent Colombian gang was arrested in Texas this week.
Aderbis Pirela, 29 — one of the highest-ranking leaders of the Los Satanás gang — was arrested in New Braunfels, Texas, on Tuesday.
Pirela is wanted in Bogota, Colombia, for ties to at least four murders, extortion and drug trafficking, according to local outlet NEWS4SA.
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Local, state, and federal authorities arrested alleged Colombian drug lord Aderbis Pierla in New Braunfels, Texas this week. (Bogota Metropolitan Police)
“[Pirela’s] role within these organizations was to distribute pamphlets, collect extortion and when they did not pay it, he obviously threatened or made an attack against the victims or their relatives,” said Bogotá Prosecutor’s Office Leonor Merchán Lopera, according to local outlet KENS5.
Pirela fled Colombia and traveled through Central America to the U.S.-Mexico border to continue his extortion efforts, General José Daniel Gualdrón, commander of the Bogotá Metropolitan Police, told the outlet.
Pirela was apprehended by Homeland Security San Antonio in cooperation with state and local authorities, who turned him into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Photo shows a view of Bogota from Monserrate Hill in Colombia. Aderbis Pirela fled the city and traveled through Central America to arrive in the United States, where he was apprehended by authorities. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán is calling on national authorities in Colombia to ensure Pirela faces justice in order to keep him off the streets.
Galán also warned that actions must be taken to prevent Pirela from continuing criminal operations in prison.
“It is necessary to guarantee that they do not continue to commit crimes from prison because that eventually generates what we are seeing here,” Galán said, according to KENS5.
Drug lord Aderbis Seguna Pierla is wanted in Bogotá, Colombia, in connection to multiple murders, extortion and drug trafficking. (Bogota Metropolitan Police)
He continued, “It is a call that I take this opportunity to ratify to the national government, because it is very important that those criminals who with the effort extraordinary measures that are being made of the authorities in charge of capturing and prosecuting them, do not continue to commit crimes from prison.”
It is unknown exactly how long Pirela has been operating in the U.S. or when he entered the country.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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