( CNN ) -- The man who served as chief of security for former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe boarded a U.S. plane bound for Virginia , where he faces drug trafficking charges , police said Tuesday . Mauricio Santoyo Velasco voluntarily turned himself in to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials in Colombia 's capital after a weekend of negotiations , Colombian police said . According to a federal indictment unsealed last month , Santoyo is accused of working with paramilitary groups to smuggle cocaine into the United States from about 2002 to 2008 . Uribe was popular as president in part because of his tough stance against leftist rebels . But critics accused his administration of siding with paramilitary groups , which also deal in drugs , in its fight . Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International had called for a complete cutoff of U.S. military aid to Colombia due to the armed forces ' alleged ties to paramilitaries . Specifically , Santoyo is accused of accepting bribes from the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia , or AUC , a now demobilized paramilitary umbrella organization , and the Oficina de Envigado , a criminal organization that was originally founded by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar . Santoyo would provide assistance to these groups , inform them of police investigations and wiretaps , as well as carrying out unauthorized wiretaps , the indictment charged . He served as chief of security for Uribe from 2000 to 2006 . Santoyo is `` voluntarily coming to the United States to face these charges , '' said his attorney , John Zwerling . `` I think it speaks well . '' His client has proclaimed that he is not guilty and is expected to make the same plea once he is before a U.S. judge , the lawyer said . It 's not known if prosecutors will ask that Santoyo to be detained pending a possible trial . The former president distanced himself from Santoyo , a retired police general , via his Twitter account after the indictment became public . Santoyo was assigned to him by defense and police officials , he said . `` I reject , with pain and indignation , any delinquent conduct , in which according to ongoing judicial proceedings , involve General Santoyo , '' Uribe 's Twitter account said . Journalist Fernando Ramos and CNN 's Helena de Moura and Mariano Castillo contributed to this report .
Mauricio Santoyo Velasco was indicted in Virginia on drug trafficking charges . He is accused of being the leader and financier for a Mexican cartel, according to court documents filed by U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein. He is on a plane headed to the U.S. , police say .