One of the leaders of the powerful Clan del Golfo drug cartel, known by the pseudonym of Matamba and claimed by American justice, escaped Friday from a prison in Bogota, in a new scandal involving the prison authorities.
Juan Larrinson Castro Estupiñan, known as Matamba, detained in the notorious La Picota prison, was captured in May 2021 and was awaiting trial in Florida (United States) for cocaine and heroin trafficking and money laundering.
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Leader of the Clan del Golfo in the Pacific, a division of Colombia's most powerful drug trafficking organization led by Dairo Usuga, alias Otoniel, detained in Bogota, Matamba managed to escape thanks to the alleged complicity of prison guards .
“I have already spoken to the attorney general this morning to ensure that the necessary arrests are made”
of those who participated in this escape, President Ivan Duque told the press.
One of the guards has already been captured, according to Justice Minister Wilson Ruiz.
Matamba was being investigated in Colombia for conspiracy to commit murder, extortion and illegal possession of weapons.
In mid-February, two retired colonels and five soldiers were imprisoned, suspected of links with Matamba, to whom they provided
"logistical advice",
according to the prosecution.
Juan Larrinson Castro Estupiñan was part of the communist guerrillas in Colombia before fighting alongside far-right paramilitaries, bitter enemies of the rebels.
Then, after negotiating with Otoniel, he took command of a group of 200 men within the Clan del Golfo, according to authorities.
Colombia is at the heart of an armed conflict that has pitted guerrillas, paramilitaries, drug traffickers and state agents for more than half a century.
The country is the world's largest producer of cocaine, a source of funding for illegal armed groups.
President Duque announced
"a complete reform of the penitentiary and prison system in Colombia"
following this new scandal involving the penitentiary administration.
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In early March, the Colombian government sacked the head of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (Inpec) and the director of Colombia's largest prison, for having improperly granted furloughs to a famous incarcerated businessman. for corruption.
According to an investigation by Caracol News television, Carlos Mattos, involved in a vast international bribery scandal, left La Picota prison without authorization on at least two occasions in an Inpec vehicle.
“The system cannot continue to have these behaviors without exemplary sanctions
,” insisted Ivan Duque on Friday.