Colombian authorities say they arrested 25 members of paramilitary drug
gang ‘Los Paisas’ in Antioquia and Córdoba, who allegedly worked for
suspected drug lord ‘Don Mario’.
According to National Police chief Oscar Naranjo, the suspects were captured in 86 raids in the departments of Antioquia and Córdoba. Among the arrestants is ‘Michael’, the assumed leader of the organization’s sicarios or hitmen.
The murder rate in the north of Antioquia and in Córdoba have risen sharply the past year. Authorities say several drug gangs are trying to take control of the area that is important for the traffick of Colombian cocaine to the Caribbean coast and Panama.