Colombian President Ivan Duque on Friday proclaimed the
"end"
of the del Golfo clan, the country's main drug trafficking gang, whose leader was arrested at the end of October.
Dairo Antonio Usuga, alias
“Otoniel”,
was arrested on 23 October in a raid involving more than 500 police and soldiers in a jungle in the northwest of the country.
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In recent days, authorities have announced that they have arrested 90 other members of the clan, allegedly the largest cocaine cartel in Colombia, which operates in connection with Mexican cartels in nearly 30 countries.
"The Clan del Golfo, as a monolithic structure, is finished"
, assured President Duque on a local radio.
"Her chain of command was completely broken, and she was heavily focused on Otoniel,"
he added, calling on his members still at large to
"surrender, or expose themselves to being hit hard. ".
The gang leader, 50, awaits his extradition to the United States, which had offered a $ 55 million reward for his capture, and where he is wanted for drug trafficking. The drug trafficker is the subject of 26 Colombian arrest warrants for murder, terrorism, child recruitment and kidnapping, among other crimes. Four police officers and soldiers have been killed since his arrest, in what authorities see as retaliation led by the gang.
According to police, the group was responsible for a third of cocaine exports from Colombia, the world's largest producer of the drug.
The main destination is the United States.
The Indepaz research institute estimates the clan has around 1,600 men, while authorities say it has around 3,800 fighters and members.
It is particularly characterized by its organization around members of Otoniel's family, many of whom were arrested, killed or arrested in the United States.