(Bogota) Four soldiers were killed Sunday in Colombia in an ambush that the army attributed to the “Clan del Golfo”, the largest group of drug traffickers in that country.
It is about a captain, a corporal and two men of the rank “who protected the community of Santa Lucia in Ituango”, in the department of Antioquia (north-west), wrote on Twitter the general Juvenal Diaz, the commander of the armed forces in that region.
This is the third attack in two weeks against soldiers, of which at least seven in total were killed, according to an official report.
All took place in the department of Antioquia, the area of influence of Dairo Antonio Úsuga, known as Otoniel, the leader of the “Clan del Golfo”, captured on October 23.
PHOTO SCHNEYDER MENDOZA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Colombian soldiers in the municipality of Tibu, Norte de Santander department, Colombia on October 28, 2021.
For the authorities, these attacks are retaliation after the arrest of the top drug lord.
The “Clan del Golfo” was created following the demobilization in 2006 of far-right paramilitaries.
According to the independent think tank Indepaz, this organization has some 1,600 men.
The authorities estimate for their part that it has 3,800 members, including collaborators.
Otoniel was arrested in the mountains of Antioquia during a massive operation involving 500 police officers.
According to the Colombian Ministry of Defense, 30% of the cocaine that leaves Colombia each year is exported by the “Clan del Golfo”, or about 300 tons.
This country is considered by the UN as the world’s largest producer of this drug.
Otoniel could be extradited in the coming weeks to the United States, where he is wanted by courts in Miami and New York for drug trafficking.