The arrest of Colombian King “Ottonel” in the “biggest blow to drug trafficking since the fall of Pablo Escobar” | world News

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A notorious Colombian drug dealer has been arrested in what has been described as the biggest blow to the country’s drug trafficking network since the death of Pablo Escobar.

The armed forces arrested Dairo Antonio Osuga, better known as O’Tonnell, during an operation in a rural area in the Uraba region of the South American country.

The Colombian and US governments were willing to pay a premium for information about the ringleader’s network and whereabouts – three billion pesos (£577,000) and $5 million (£3.6 million), respectively.

Photo: The drug lord has been the focus of a long effort to catch him

Watonnell is accused of sending dozens of shipments of cocaine to the United States, killing police officers, illegal mining, recruiting minors, and child sexual abuse, among other crimes.

Colombian President Ivan Duque praised the arrest of the 50-year-old in a video message, saying: “This is the biggest blow to drug trafficking in our country this century.

“This blow can only be compared to the downfall of Pablo Escobar in the 1990s.”

Defense Minister Diego Molano said Saturday’s Operation OSIRIS involved more than 500 Colombian special forces personnel and 22 helicopters.

Such was the significance of the arrest, that soldiers posed for pictures and took selfies with O’Tonnell.

The operation, which resulted in the death of a police officer, ended years of efforts to find O’Tonnell.

Photo: Otoniel posed for pictures with some of the troops

Dozens of his associates were arrested and killed in an operation in 2016, and his sister, Nene Johana Osuga, was arrested in March of this year.

She was extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

O’Tonnell’s rise to prominence led to him becoming the leader of the drug smuggling group Clan del Golfo, or Gulf Clan, after periods of serving as a left-wing fighter and later as a paramilitary.

The Del Golfo clan includes about 1,200 armed men – the majority of whom are former members of far-right paramilitary groups, stationed in 10 of Colombia’s 32 departments.

Photo: Colombian President Ivan Duque praised the arrest in a video statement

While the Colombian president was optimistic in the wake of O’Tonnell’s arrest, he was warned that another figure would surely take his place.

Sergio Guzman, director of Hazard Analysis in Colombia, said the arrest was a “big deal,” but Otoniel “had to be replaced.”

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