Colombia president confirms US requested extradition of drug cartel leader News
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Colombia president confirms US requested extradition of drug cartel leader

Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez Thursday confirmed that the U.S. formally requested that Colombia extradite accused Clan del Golfo leader and drug trafficker Dairo Antonio Usuga David, known as “Otoniel.” Duque added that extraditing the drug clan’s leader will pose a significant blow to the cartel’s structure.

Duque stated that the request is currently progressing through Colombia’s administrative process. After the Ministry of Justice and Chancellery reviewed and approved the request, Columbia’s supreme court received the request and is currently reviewing it. Duque shared that he spoke with supreme court President Luis Antonio Hernández, requesting that Hernández swiftly process the extradition request “of this dangerous criminal.”

Colombia already approved an extradition request for Clan del Golfo’s second in command, Antonio Moreno Tuberquia, known as “Nicolás.” Duque reported that Colombia had seized a historical amount of cocaine this year, at 595 tons to date, surpassing 2020’s breaking record of 500 tons. Duque believes extraditing the clan’s leaders will impede drug trafficking while demonstrating that “no one is above the law.”

After the Southern District of New York indicted Usuga in 2009, the US offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Usuga’s arrest and/or conviction. According to the US Department of State, Usuga is accused of leading the Clan del Golfo, “a heavily armed and extremely violent Colombian drug cartel” that is associated with active terrorist groups. The violent clan controls “narcotics trafficking routes, cocaine processing laboratories, speedboat departure points, and clandestine landing strips.” Fifty-year-old Usuga is also accused of leading the clan during a turf war for drug trafficking routes that resulted in a 443% increase in homicides over two years.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Duque held a joint press conference Wednesday to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Colombia’s Final Peace Agreement. There, Guterres stated that the violence in Colombia results in large part from a combination of armed groups and drug trafficking. Guterres then stressed the importance of exhausting all efforts in combatting these violent groups.

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