Bogota, Oct 24 (IANS): The Colombian government said that the country's most-wanted drug trafficker "Otoniel" has been captured.
According to the authorities, Dairo Antonio Usuga (50), who headed the country's largest drug trafficking gang known as the Gulf Clan, was captured in a rural area of the Department of Antioquia near the border with Panama, reports Xinhua news agency.
President Ivan Duque Marquez confirmed Otoniel's capture in a televised national address on Saturday.
"This coup is only comparable to the fall of Pablo Escobar in the 90s. Otoniel was the most feared drug trafficker in the world, a murderer of policemen, soldiers, social leaders, and a recruiter of minors," he said.
After becoming the leader of the Gulf Clan, one of the most powerful criminal organisations in Colombia, Otoniel was considered one of the most-wanted target for Colombian authorities.