Jorge Enrique Rodríguez Mendieta known by his nom de guerre Iván Vargas (born c. 1963) is a Colombian guerrilla leader member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP), former commander of the 24th Front of the Middle Magdalena Bloc of the FARC-EP.
Vargas was arrested in late 2004 in the city of Bucaramanga by Colombian authorities[1] and extradited to the United States on 3 November 2007 on charges of narcotrafficking.
In Colombia, the government charged him with rebellion, terrorism, conspiracy to export illegal drugs[4] According to the United States Attorney General's Office Rodriguez Mendieta allegedly directed the purchase of hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cocaine paste and transmitted billions of Colombian pesos in cocaine proceeds to other FARC officials.
On 16 December 2009, he pleaded guilty in a Washington, D.C. federal court to conspiring to import large quantities of cocaine into the U.S.[3] When submitting his guilty plea, Mendieta admitted that he had directed other FARC members to purchase hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cocaine paste, some of which was imported to the U.S.
The U.S. government has also alleged that Mendieta plotted to retaliate against American law enforcement officers conducting the narcotics-trafficking investigation that ultimately led to the charges filed against him.