Colombian police have captured drug trafficker “JJ,” a criminal allegedly tied to the feared gang “Los Rastrojos,” in Colombia’s capital Bogota on Tuesday.
Alberto Naranjo Franco, alias JJ, was caught at a road checkpoint Tuesday in Bogota with an alleged 62 kilos of cocaine, valued at approximately $2 million. The drugs were packed into four boxes and placed in the bed of a Ford pickup truck when police detained him, according to newspaper El Tiempo.
The 35-year-old drug trafficker was allegedly transporting the drugs from Bogota to Medellin, and has been known to have links with the Rastrojos, who are considered Colombia’s largest drug trafficking organization that dominates the export of drugs from Colombia’s Pacific coast and also has presence in Venezuela.
Despite the Rastrojos dominance in narcotrafficking circles, they have suffered a series of major setbacks this year with several of their leaders captured or surrendered. In May, former leader “El Doctor” surrendered to U.S. authorities and a month later, founder “Diego Rastrojo” was arrested in Venezuela. In September, one of their key allies, “El Loco Barrera” was also arrested inside Venezuelan territory and only weeks later, the successor “Comba” also gave up and surrendered to the DEA in Panama.