Drug trafficker’s links should have been investigated years ago: General

The Commander of the Colombian Armed Forces, General Alejandro Navas, has accused the prosecutor general of failing to properly investigate a former drug trafficker who has implicated members of the government and military.

Navas said he was “surprised” that an investigation into government and military officials allegedly on the payroll of extradited drug trafficker Juan Carlos Ramirez had not been opened earlier, as relevant information had been handed over three years ago.

It was revealed Wednesday that a diary belonging to Ramirez, alias “Chupeta,” of the now defunct Cali-based Norte del Valle Cartel, contained names of 16 people on his payroll that included former Prosecutor General Luis Camilo Osorio as well as military generals, politicians and various AUC and FARC commanders.

Navas told told radio station Caracol it was “strange” so little had been done, since the diary had been in the possession of the Prosecutor General’s office since 2009.

The list was allegedly found in “Chupeta’s” diary before he was detained in Brazil in 2007. Navas also expressed his confidence in the named generals, claiming their innocence, and said the Armed Forces would comply with any judicial proceedings.

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