Colombian drug lord “El Loco Barrera,” who was arrested in Venezuela on Tuesday, been succeeded by a former commander of neo-paramilitary group ERPAC, newspaper El Tiempo reported Saturday.
According to police sources of the daily, the new person in charge of Barrera’s organization is called Jose Nieto, alias “Candelo” or “Bayardo.”
The alleged heir of Barrera’s 400-ton-a-year cocaine business has never been mentioned in relation to the jailed drug lord, ERPAC or the two factions that were formed from ERPAC after a partial demobilization in late 2011.
Nieto is alleged to be running his business from the eastern planes where Barrera’s organization used to acquire coca from guerrilla group FARC, processed it and then sold it to either ERPAC or drug trafficking organization “Los Rastrojos” to be shipped abroad.
According to El Tiempo, the neo-paramilitary commander is not the only one named as successor; Carlos Antonio Angulo, alias “El Pollo,” the leader of El Loco Barrera’s former death squad is also alleged to have stepped up.