Live
Audio Only
Dairo Antonio Usuga, alias Otoniel, head of the Gulf Clan, claims he turned himself in to authorities and was not captured.
The arrest of Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, alias Otoniel, head of the Clan del Golfo criminal organization, caused controversy in Colombia after the criminal acknowledged that he was not captured, as the government claimed, but instead turned himself into the authorities.
Otoniel's testimony demolishes the official version that the criminal leader was arrested after a highly precise intelligence operation, widely reported by local media.
RELATED:
Usuga assured the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) on Tuesday that he was aware of the operation against him and that he himself facilitated his capture by approaching a group of soldiers to present his surrender and that there was no confrontation of any kind.
At the time, the government described Otoniel's arrest as the most important in the country since the fall of drug trafficker Pablo Escobar.
As part of the Osiris operation, which Duque himself promoted as part of a strong media campaign, Usuga was arrested and a policeman was reported dead.
Usuga, who is in the process of extradition to the United States, told the JEP that he took off his shirt to show that he was unarmed and approached a group of uniformed men to protect his life and turn himself in.
.@IvanDuque y @Diego_Molano repiten la mentira esperando que el electorado les crea su buena gestión en seguridad. No lo capturaron, se entregó y ya confesó.
— Feliciano Valencia �� (@FelicianoValen) December 22, 2021
No le mientan más al país, su gestión es pésima y las cifras de desplazados, líderes asesinados y masacres lo demuestran.
"@IvanDuque y @Diego_Molano repeat the lie hoping that the electorate will believe their good management in security. They didn't capture him; he turned himself in and confessed. Don't lie to the country anymore, their management is lousy and the figures of displaced people, murdered leaders and massacres prove it."
Social networks abounded with comments that the alleged capture of the criminal was a farce and described the government's version as yet another lie during the Duque administration. They even asked: "How did a policeman die in the operation?"
For Otoniel, considered the most significant drug trafficker in Colombia, there were several rewards, including one from the United States that set five million dollars for his capture.
From the government, the Minister of Defense, Diego Molano and the head of the National Police, General Jorge Luis Vargas Valencia, including President Duque, denied Otoniel's version.
On the other hand, the newspaper La Nueva Prensa revealed on Wednesday that an alleged contractor of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) negotiated with Otoñiel his surrender to the U.S. justice system.
Newsletter
