Colombia Top Court OKs Gulf Clan Leader Otoniel's Extradition to U.S.

Gulf Clan leader Dairo Antonio Usuga, known by his alias "Otoniel," will soon be extradited to the United States after Colombia's Supreme Court has approved the move.

The high court's decision was announced on Twitter on Wednesday, ending attempts by Otoniel's lawyers to halt his extradition.

According to Milenio, Colombian President Ivan Duque has already signaled approval for the extradition of the Gulf Cartel leader, who is considered "the greatest mafia boss of this century."

Duque reportedly asked the court to expedite the process. The president has likened the arrest of Otoniel, the country's most-wanted drug lord, to the capture of late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar three decades ago.

BBC reported that Colombia's Justice Minister Wilson Ruiz has vowed to extradite Otoniel to the U.S. after his capture last year. Colombia has received a formal request from the U.S. to extradite the accused drug kingpin in November.

Colombia's Defense Minister Diego Molano said at the time that "extradition awaits all those who commit international crimes."

However, Otoniel's lawyers had argued that the Gulf Cartel leader should have been included in a special court, where participants in Colombia's six-decade internal conflict between government forces and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels could receive alternative sentences for admitting their participation.

They noted that the 50-year-old drug kingpin was willing to reveal several details of the collaboration between central government officials and illegal armed groups and, in exchange, prevent his extradition.

Arrest of Gulf Clan Leader Otoniel in Colombia

An operation in a rural area of Colombia's Uraba region, located in Antioquia province, in October last year resulted in the arrest of Dairo Antonio Usuga. It involved more than 500 members of special forces and 22 helicopters.

The operation, named Osiris, which resulted in the death of one police officer, brought to an end years-long efforts to find and capture Otoniel, Sky News reported.

Ivan Duque said it was the "biggest blow to drug trafficking" in Colombia since the fall of Pablo Escobar. Otoniel stayed on the run for more than a decade.

The Gulf Clan leader reportedly managed to elude capture by corrupting state officials and aligning himself with combatants on the left and right. He also slept in a different rural location every night.

Otoniel has been accused of sending dozens of shipments of cocaine to the U.S., killing police officers, recruiting minors, and sexually abusing children, among other crimes. He is wanted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges.

Dairo Antonio Usuga of Gulf Clan in Colombia

Dairo Antonio Usuga is known to be the head of the notorious Gulf Clan, whose assassins terrorized most of northern Colombia to secure the control of major cocaine smuggling routes to Central America and onto the U.S.

Gulf Clan is also called Los Urabeños, and Gaitanista Self-Defence Forces or Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia. The U.S. Justice Department has described the group as a "heavily armed, extremely violent" criminal group with former members of terrorist organizations.

Otoniel has been on the most-wanted fugitives list of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, with a $5 million reward for his capture. Colombia also offered a reward of up to $800,000 for information leading to his capture.

Otoniel was first indicted in 2009 in a Manhattan federal court on drug trafficking charges, Aljazeera reported. He was also known to be facing criminal charges in Brooklyn and Miami for drug trafficking and firearms charges.

Authorities have reportedly been after the Gulf Clan leader for years, going after his finances, capturing family members, and killing allies.

In March last year, Otoniel's sister, Nini Johana Usuga, was also arrested. Dozens of his lieutenants were also captured and killed during an operation in 2016. Nini was already extradited to the U.S. to face drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

Colombia Risk Analysis director Sergio Guzman earlier told Reuters that the arrest of the biggest drug kingpin in Colombia was a big deal. However, he noted that Otoniel was "bound to be replaced."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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