Colombia’s most powerful drug lord, Urabeños leader “Otoniel,” is seeking to surrender to authorities, one year after security forces began an intense search for the country’s most wanted criminal, local…
Colombia and the United States have formed an unprecedented joint task force they say will block paramilitary successor groups from using a peace treaty with the FARC to expand their power.
Colombia police said Friday they have arrested the godson of slain AUC founder Carlos Castaño on charges he commanded the drug trafficking routes of AUC successor group “Urabeños” in southwest Colombia.
Guns that have been purchased legally in the US, are shipped illegally to Colombia for use by violent drug trafficking organizations, according to the South American country’s National Police.
Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos on Monday ordered the military to intensify operations targeting paramilitary successor groups to prevent them from overtaking criminal operations from demobilizing FARC units.
In spite of shaking hands on a March 23 deadline to finalize three-year-long peace talks, FARC rebels explicitly backed out of the deadline agreement, claiming the government has stalled the process.
The use of airstrikes was one of the main strategic elements that severely reduced the FARC’s military capacity ahead of peace talks with the rebel group. Colombia’s neo-paramilitary groups are the next target for airstrikes.
In the years that leftist rebel group FARC has been negotiating peace with the government, paramilitary successor group “Los Urabeños” nearly doubled its territory and has settled in areas traditionally under guerrilla control.
Colombian authorities arrested five more members of the security forces and three civilians who are accused of trafficking arms for neo-paramilitary drug trafficking organizations. According to the police, its organized…