Gulf Cartel henchmen have killed a cop and torched over 50 vehicles in Columbia as their leader Dairo Antonio 'Otoniel' was extradited to the US this week. Otoniel was flown to New York on Wednesday after Columbia agreed to extradite him to the US.
Gulf Cartel members shot Police officer Edison Acevedo in Caracoli on Friday. They have also forced local businesses to remain close in their response against Otoniel's extradition.
Gulf Cartel Recruited People To Create Ruckus
It's reported that the cartel hired some unemployed and young people for torching vehicles and carrying vandalism acts to create unrest over the extradition of their leader. Otoniel appeared before the New York court on Thursday.
Otoniel allegedly ran a paramilitary organization, one of the largest distributors of cocaine in the world, and ordered ruthless acts of violence against innocent civilians and law enforcement, according to the papers submitted in the court
Otoniel was arrested in the jungles of Colombia on October 23, 2021, after an extensive capture operation by Colombian military and law enforcement personnel.
Otoniel's Arrest Was Biggest Action Against Cartels After Escobar's Assassination
Charges against him include running a criminal enterprise and participating in an international cocaine manufacturing and distribution conspiracy for his role as the leader of the paramilitary, multibillion-dollar drug organization known as the "Clan del Golfo" (CDG).
He is also accused of trafficking nearly 90,000 kgs of cocaine into the US. The cocaine trafficked into the US was valued at nearly $2 billion. Colombia has also blamed him for the death of hundreds of security members of the country.
His cartel Gulf Clan is believed to be responsible for nearly 30% of drugs being trafficked into the US.
The Gulf Clan is formally known as Los Urabeños and Clan Úsuga and it's not only a drug cartel, it's a kind of neo-paramilitary group which also has modern weaponry, according to the Daily Mail.
His arrest in 2021 was the biggest action against the drug cartel businesses worldwide following the killing of Pablo Escobar in 1993.
The US in 2009 had announced a $5 million bounty for information leading to Otoniel's arrest.
