Colombian security forces have arrested Dairo Antonio Úsuga (50) alias Otoniel, the supreme leader of the Colombian drug cartel Clan del Golfo (Gulf Clan) and one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the South American country.
“It is the most decisive blow that the drug trade was dealt in this century,” said Colombian President Iván Duque (45), who did not save with superlatives, in a press conference on Saturday (local time). “It can only be compared to the case of Pablo Escobar in the 1990s.”
The legendary drug lord, whose name still sounds like Donnerhall in Colombia, died in 1993 during a police operation over the roofs of Medellín. Úsaga, better known as Otoniel, was arrested in his jungle hiding place in the Uraba region in the northwest of the country, shown in handcuffs in public and taken to Bogotá by helicopter.
Clan at the end
“Otoniel was the most feared drug lord in the world, a murderer of police officers, soldiers and local activists and has recruited children,” said Colombian President Duque at the press conference. His arrest would mean the end of the Gulf clan. At the same time, Duque, a hardliner, called on the remaining members to either face up or “feel the full weight of the law.”
Úsuga was caught after almost ten years, during which he was hunted by a special unit of the security forces, moving between luxury life and constant change of location, often staying in the jungle.
Operation Osiris, which ultimately led to his arrest, provided information to more than 500 members of the military, police and prosecutors in Colombia, as well as the United States and Great Britain.
High reward
Up to three billion pesos, the equivalent of 730,000 francs, had been exposed in Colombia for clues leading to his whereabouts and his arrest. The US government had offered five million dollars for it. In addition to drug trafficking, the 50-year-old is also accused of murder, extortion, kidnapping, conspiracy and the recruitment of minors. According to Duque, there are extradition requests against him.
His Clan del Golfo, which emerged from right-wing paramilitary groups, is one of the strongest drug organizations in Colombia, which is responsible for the tons of smuggling of cocaine into Central and North America in particular. He is also involved in illegal mining and extortion, and is responsible for numerous murders and evictions.
Peace is fragile
Colombia has suffered civil war between the armed forces, left-wing guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitaries for more than 50 years. More than 220,000 people were killed and millions were displaced within Colombia. The largest rebel organization, Farc, signed a peace treaty with the government in 2016.
The security situation in the South American country has improved since then. But the peace is fragile five years after the agreement: the smaller guerrilla group ELN is still active; Thousands of former FARC fighters and criminal syndicates such as the Gulf Clan, who have ventured into the vacuum created, are also engaged in armed battles among themselves, with the police and the armed forces. (SDA)