Colombian citizen Harold Carrillo Sanchez, sentenced to death for smuggling drug into China, returned to Colombia on Thursday, making him the first Colombian convict in an international drug smuggling case to be repatriated from China.
Sanchez, landing at the El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, thanked both governments for the diplomatic effort that made his repatriation possible for medical reasons.
"Being sentenced to the death penalty for smuggling one kilogram of drug is terrible. Do not believe them (drug dealers)," Sanchez told the local El Tiempo Daily shortly after his plane landed, sending a strong message for those who are thinking to become drug traffickers.
The announcement had been made public on Tuesday by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which confirmed the repatriation of Sanchez after a hard work during which "all diplomatic means were used."
Sanchez will be sent to the National Prison in Bogota after doctors conduct a medical checkup to see if his health situation requires further medical attention.
He will spend 19 years in jail, in accordance with the agreement based on which his repatriation was made possible.
According to local media, there are still 130 Colombians imprisoned in China, most of whom got the death penalty for drug smuggling according to Chinese law.
