Colombia arrests most-wanted drug lord Otoniel in jungle raid involving 500 troops & 22 choppers

Colombian special forces have captured notorious drug trafficker Dairo Antonio Usuga, known as Otoniel, during a massive operation on Saturday. The alleged boss of the much-feared Gulf Clan had been on the run for over a decade.

Around 500 troops and 22 helicopters were reportedly involved in the raid on Otoniel’s hideout in the jungle area of the Uraba region in the northwest of the country. The force was so overwhelming that even eight rings of security couldn’t save the drug lord from arrest this time.

The operation, in which one police officer lost his life, was carried out based on intelligence provided by the US and UK, according to the authorities.

Otoniel’s arrest “is the biggest blow against drug trafficking in our country this century. This hit is only comparable to the fall of Pablo Escobar in the 1990s,” Colombian President said.