Medellin police on Wednesday arrested a nephew of Carlos Lehder, a former Colombian drug lord who paved the way for trafficking drugs to the United States in the 1970s and 1980s.
Pablo Lehder was captured on drug trafficking charges alongside three other men in a police operation in the center of the city.
Lehder is suspected of sending drugs to Central America and the United States through the Gulf of Uraba, located close to Panama. Authorities are currently investigating his possible involvement with the “Oficina de Envigado,” a powerful criminal organization based in Medellin.
PROFILE: Oficina de Envigado
His infamous uncle, Carlos Lehder, was one of the richest, most influential drug traffickers in Colombian history. Preceding the arrival of Pablo Escobar, Lehder reportedly made so much money that he, on several occasions, offered to pay off all of Colombia’s national debt. Lehder was captured and extradited in 1987 and remains incarcerated in the U.S., although his initial sentence of life plus 135 years was recently reduced to 55 after testifying and cooperating with authorities.
National Police Director Jose Roberto Leon was transferred to Medellin this week to combat a rising homicide rate, and recently announced the capture of “Carlos Pesebre”, a prominent leader of the Oficina.
MORE: Leader of La Oficina de Envigado captured by Colombian police
Sources
- Capturado alias “Pablo” sobrino de Carlos Lehder por narcotráfico (El Colombiano)
- Carlos Lehder (George Jung.org)
