In an operation called “Patria 15,” police on Wednesday seized 152 properties and other posessions, with a combined value over $32 million, from two of Colombia’s most wanted drug traffickers, Daniel “El Loco” Barrera, and Ernesto Tavera.
The operation was carried out by the branch of the police responsible for investigating money laundering and for the seizure of assets bought with illicitly obtained money. The police worked in conjunction with the Prosecutor General’s Office on the raids.
From Barrera, police seized a total of 54 items, including 28 vehicles, sixteen farms and lots, five houses, three apartments, and an office, in five cities and towns.
From Tavera, police took 98 properties, located in nine different municipalities.
Barrera has been called the “number one drug trafficker in Colombia” and authorities have offered a reward of $2.5 million for information leading to his capture.
Tavera was once one of the leading druglord of the eastern range of the Colombian Andes Mountains, and spent seven years in jail before escaping in 2000. He has been on the run ever since.