Colombian authorities have arrested Dairo Antonio Usuga, the country's most wanted drug lord, in what is believed to be the biggest blow the country's drug traffickers have suffered in decades. Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez confirmed in a televised national address Saturday that Ursuga, nicknamed "Otoniel," had been captured. It is reported that the operation was based on the intelligence provided by the United States and the United Kingdom, and Ursuga smiled and took a photo with the arresters after being arrested.
"This arrest can only be compared to the fall of Pablo Escobar in the 1990s," Duke said. Escobar, a Colombian drug lord, died in 1993 after building a multibillion-dollar cocaine empire. Duke added, "Otoniel is the world's most feared drug dealer, murdering policemen, soldiers, social leaders, and recruiting minors. Duke also said to other drug dealers: "All criminals and drug dealers: either you surrender or we will arrest you."
According to Reuters, 50-year-old drug lord Darrow Antonio Ursuga was captured by Colombian authorities during an operation in a rural area of the Uraba region of Antioquia province. A police officer was reportedly killed in action. Big drug lord Darrow Antonio Ursuga is the leader of the "Golfo family" drug cartel, which the U.S. State Department calls "heavily armed and extremely violent." According to Reuters, he became leader after serving in left-wing guerrillas and paramilitary groups.
It is reported that the drug cartel, which is composed of former members of terrorist organizations, uses violent and intimidating means to control drug trafficking routes, cocaine processing laboratories, speedboat departure points and secret landing runways. In 2009, Darrow Antonio Ursuga was indicted by the Southern District of New York. According to Reuters, the U.S. State Department offered a $5 million reward for the arrest of the suspect, while Colombia offered a reward of $3 billion (about $800,000) for the arrest of the suspect.
In 2009, Manhattan Federal Court indicted drug lord Darrow Antonio Ursuga on charges of drugs and aiding a far-right militia recognized by the United States as a terrorist organization. This was followed by indictments in federal courts in Brooklyn and Miami alleging Colombia smuggling 73 tons of cocaine to the United States between 2003 and 2014 through countries such as Venezuela, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Honduras.
During the successful capture, about 500 soldiers and 22 helicopters were reportedly involved in a raid on the base of drug lord Darrow Antonio Ursuga in the jungle area of the country's northwestern Uraba region. This time, the strength of the police was unstoppable, and even the eight circles of security guards (i.e., the drug dealer's 8 lines of defense) failed to save the drug lord. Colombian authorities said the operation was based on intelligence provided by the United States and the United Kingdom, in which a police officer was killed.
Late Saturday, a handcuffed Darrow Antonio Usuga appeared in front of the media, surrounded by heavily armed troops. The photograph, distributed by the Colombian armed forces, shows the 50-year-old man wearing tall rubber boots, which are usually worn by farmers in rural areas of the country.
Dairo Antonio Usuga, a drug lord, is believed to be the chief of the local Gulf tribe, which controls the main cocaine smuggling routes in the jungle and has terrorized much of northern Colombia for years. The Gulf Clan had about 1200 fighters, most of whom were former guerrillas. In addition, authorities have accused the drug lord and his henchmen of using force and abuse to recruit minors. For more than 10 years, dairo antonio Usuga, a drug lord, has been hiding from Colombian police and is said not to be staying in the same place for more than a night.