Venezuela on Thursday arrested the Colombian Jorge Milton Cifuentes Villa, the alleged leader of the “Cifuentes Villa clan,” a family that according to the U.S. has transported tons of cocaine from Colombia to the U.S. since the Pablo Escobar era.
The suspect is the brother of Dolly Cifuentes, who was extradited to the U.S. earlier this year and caused embarrassment with former President Alvaro Uribe whose late brother proved to have two children with the alleged drug trafficker and money launderer. One of these children is also wanted by the U.S.
Cifuentes Villa’s arrest was announced by Venezuela’s justice minister, Nestor Reverol, on Twitter
Capturado peligroso Jefe del Narcotrafico internacional Jorge Milton Cifuentes Villa, alias JJ, requerido por Colombia y Estados Unidos.
— Nestor Reverol (@NestorReverol) November 8, 2012
The oldest of the three siblings, Francisco Cifuentes, was the private air plane pilot of Escobar and the initial leader of the family’s drug trafficking operations until his assassination in 2007.
Dolly and Jorge Milton allegedly took over the family drug trafficking business after their brother’s death.
According to the U.S. State Department, the latest arrested Cifuentes Villa sibling “most likely has obtained and imported over 31,000 kilograms of cocaine to the United States, and is purportedly the primary source of supply of cocaine for the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.”
The State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Cifuentes Villa.
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