MIAMI (AP) — Jorge Hernández, a former top informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has been arrested and charged with conspiring to extort suspected drug traffickers by falsely promising leniency in their prosecutions.
The 57-year-old Colombian national, better known in law enforcement circles by his nickname Boliche (Spanish for bowling ball), is accused of running an elaborate fraud scheme from 2020 onward. Hernández allegedly posed as a paralegal, demanding up to $1 million from at least six drug kingpins who were facing extradition from Colombia and the Dominican Republic. In return, he guaranteed short prison sentences to be served in apartment-like accommodations resembling house arrest, according to a 17-page FBI affidavit unsealed in federal court.
Authorities say the payments included not only cash but also jewelry, properties, and vehicles. But Hernández lacked any authority to influence sentencing and failed to deliver on his promises. When victims began questioning the outcome, he deflected blame onto their legal counsel, the FBI said.
Hernández made his initial court appearance Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale. He remains in custody, and his attorney, Nestor Menendez, declined to comment on the charges.
For nearly two decades, Hernández was a vital asset to the DEA, credited with helping dismantle major drug networks across the Western Hemisphere. He assisted in cases involving high-seas smuggling, money laundering, and even helped build the U.S. case against Alex Saab, a financier linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
His criminal history is complicated. After fleeing Colombia and being arrested in Venezuela in 2000, Hernández offered to cooperate with U.S. authorities, admitting to three murders during his days as a drug trafficker. He quickly became one of the DEA’s most relied-upon informants, even receiving office space and a phone line at a federal anti-narcotics task force.
However, in 2008, his relationship with the agency was severed when officials discovered he had been blackmailing fellow informants by threatening to expose them unless they paid him. Despite this, Hernández reconnected with former DEA contacts and testified in 2023 against two ex-DEA supervisors convicted of accepting bribes.
He also faced charges alongside University of Miami professor Bruce Bagley for laundering $3 million linked to Alex Saab. Those charges remain under seal.
The newly unsealed wire fraud case adds another chapter to Hernández’s long and complex history with U.S. law enforcement. He is currently serving probation for a money laundering conviction that ends in May 2027.
