Key Colombian drug lord captured in Venezuela

[hokkien]

Wednesday, Sep 19, 2012
BOGOTA - One of Colombia's most wanted drug traffickers was captured in neighbouring Venezuela on Tuesday with the help of Caracas as well as British and US intelligence agencies, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said.

Colombia is one of the world's top producers of cocaine, and criminal gangs composed of former right-wing paramilitary groups and old cartels have become a major emerging threat to the nation of 46 million people.

Daniel Barrera, known as "Crazy Barrera," was captured across the border in San Cristobal, Venezuela, in an operation that was directed from Washington by a Colombian police general, Santos said in a televised speech.

"Crazy Barrera has been, perhaps, the most wanted kingpin in recent times. He has dedicated 20 years to doing bad things to Colombia and the world, all types of crime, perverse alliances with paramilitaries, with the FARC (rebel group)," Santos said.

Barrera had a US$5 million (S$6.13 million) bounty on his head from the United States and US$2.7 million from Colombia's government.

Santos thanked US and British intelligence agencies as well as Venezuela's government for their help. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been one of the fiercest critics in Latin America of US and Western foreign policy.

Santos did not give any more details on the operation. Venezuela's government summoned reporters for a press conference early on Wednesday to discuss Barrera's capture.

Santos has forged a friendship with Chavez since the Colombian leader took power in 2010. On Wednesday, Santos is due to meet Chavez's election rival, Henrique Capriles, in Bogota.

While bloodshed from Colombia's long guerrilla and drug wars has dropped since a US-backed offensive began more than a decade ago, bombings, murders and combat continue, mainly in the country's frontier areas.

The decline in violence has attracted billions of dollars in foreign investment mainly to Colombia's mining and oil sectors, which has allowed the country to boost crude and coal output to historic highs.

 

[Muthukali]

They will never mati cos one down, another clone will surfaced.

 

[hokkien]

They will never mati cos one down, another clone will surfaced.

Just like Rock never die

 

[Muthukali]

Drug-loaded submarine seized in Colombia

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/video/drug-loaded-submarine-seized-colombia-043314985.html

3 hours ago, Reuters Videos

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL (ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION) STORY: Colombian authorities announced on Tuesday (September 18) the seizure of an unmanned semi-submersible sea vessel capable of carrying up to four tonnes of illicit drugs. The submarine, measuring 7.5 metres long and two metres wide, was discovered in Colombia's Pacific ocean close to the municipality of Tumaco. A joint military operation between Colombian armed forces and the Latin American country's Attorney General's office located the vessel. The semi-submersible was towed to the coast where authorities are expected to identify the amount of illicit drugs onboard and investigate possible clues into the owners of the sea vessel. Many believe the semi-submersible belongs to the notorious "Los Rastrojos" gang, a brutal criminal organisation that controls several smuggling routes and is said to be responsible for moving tonnes of cocaine into the United States every year. The rural ports and fishing Pacific coast of Colombia is a key area for trafficking and leftist guerrillas, paramilitaries and others vie for control over smuggling routes. Since 2007, the Colombian army has seized more than 22 submarines, impeding the delivery of an estimated 50 tons of cocaine.