A nephew of one of Mexico’s most feared drug traffickers may be in Colombia to do business with criminal groups, reported newspaper El Tiempo Thursday.
Colombian intelligence agencies told the daily that the nephew of the head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, had a meeting in an apartment in Bogota with local drug traffickers, according to local media. They have video evidence of the meeting and believe he may still be in the country. They say the Sinaloa cartel has been in contact with Colombian groups such as “Los Rastrojos” and the “Urabeños” for some months.
Intelligence agencies are reported as saying they believe that Mexican gangs are currently attempting to forge closer links with cocaine suppliers all over Colombia, with Mexican gangsters known to be making contacts in Buenaventura, Cali, Uraba, Medellin and Bogota.
“These people have no injunctions [against them], so we believe they fly in and out by plane,” said an investigator for Colombia’s Ombudsman’s Office, which is also investigating the Mexican incursion.
Mexican drug cartels have for some years been fighting a bloody war for control of the cocaine trade with the United States. Thousands of people have been killed, including police, civilians, journalists and politicians.