Colombia police claim anti-drugs success

[Judi Lynn]

Source: BBC News

7 October 2010 Last updated at 20:59 ET
Colombia police claim anti-drugs success

Colombian police say they have smashed a drug-trafficking network that was exporting several tonnes of cocaine to the US each month.

More than 30 suspects were arrested in co-ordinated raids across the country.

They are accused of belonging to the Urabenos, a powerful cartel founded by former right-wing paramilitaries.

Colombia's Defence Minister, Rodrigo Rivera, said the operation was a major success in the fight against cocaine trafficking.

"With this operation we have affected the entire structure of this organisation dedicated to producing and exporting drugs," he said.

The arrests were made with the help of the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

The Urabenos are one of dozens of violent drugs cartels that emerged in Colombia following the demobilisation of the paramilitary Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) in 1996.



Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11498478

[Mike Marble]

1. Success? Ha, that's a good one.

Can anyone show me how 30 years of Andean drug war has reduced the availability of cocaine?

Another meaningless bust, another opportunity for the next in line to get his shot at illicit wealth, and another chance for the drug warriors to pretend they are doing anything that makes any difference.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Colombia-DEA raid captures 20 traffickers

Colombia-DEA raid captures 20 traffickers
Thursday, 07 October 2010 08:15 Teresa Welsh

Forty people linked to the neo-paramilitary drug trafficking group "Los Urabeños" have been captured by Colombian authorities in collaboration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), said Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera.

The arrests took place 10 different departments across Colombia and those detained include Mario de Jesus Jimenez Gomez, alias "El Chuzo." He was wanted for manufacturing, trafficking and transporting drugs.

The ring has members in Venezuela, according to Colombian officials. "It was an international organization dedicated to drug trafficking along the Colombia-Venezuela-U.S. corridor," said Rivera.

Los Urabeños allegedly has a route in the northern department of Meta which they use to transport drugs to the United States, and it is expected that some of those arrested will be wanted for extradition to the U.S.

"Los Urabeños" is defined by Human Rights Watch as a "paramilitary successor group," with close links to members of the demobilized paramilitary coalition AUC. Until his arrest in April 2009, it was led by Daniel Rendon, alias "Don Mario," one of Colombia's three most wanted men at the time. Don Mario was a leader of the AUC who did not demobilize with the organization.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12244-los-urabenos-captured.html

[Ramulux]

3. Translation

We just wasted billions of tax-payer dollars to bust people in a foreign country who dont matter. Does anyone honestly think this means anything? Like, that this is going to change anything at all anywhere? As long as drugs are illegal there will continue to be massive incentive for criminals around the world to ship huge amounts of drugs into America. We could have 100 of these busts happen at the same time all over the world and it wouldn't change anything.

Americans consume an unbelievable amount of drugs and nothing is going to change that, we simply need to learn how to deal with that fact.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Medellin crime boss jailed for 7 years

Medellin crime boss jailed for 7 years
Thursday, 07 October 2010 09:16 Christina Filipovic

Hugo Albeiro Quintero, alias "El Patron," a gang leader in Colombia's second city Medellin, is sentenced to seven years and five months in jail for planning to create new paramilitary groups.

The sentence was handed down by a criminal court in Medellin, which found him guilty of aggravated conspiracy with the purpose of forming illegal organizations, reports Caracol Radio. The decision was made in one of the lower courts, meaning that Quintero has the option of appealing to a higher court in Medellin.

Quintero was arrested in September 2008 in Bello on charges of homicide and forced disappearance.

The criminal boss, who owned the transport company Bellanita de Transportes, was linked to the AUC paramilitary coalition, and is accused of harboring former paramilitary leader Vicente Castaño Quintero when he broke off peace negotiations with the Colombian government in August 2006.

During his trial, two key witnesses were murdered and one disappeared. An investigation into these killings is ongoing.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12247-businessman-convicted-for-paramilitary-activities.html

[Judi Lynn]

5. Army major arrested for 11 'false positive' murders

Army major arrested for 11 'false positive' murders
Thursday, 07 October 2010 12:26 Christina Filipovic

Army Major Orlando Arturo Cespedes Escalona, deputy commander of the Joint Task Force in Sucre, was arrested for his alleged part in the murder of eleven young people, who were falsely reported by the military as rebels killed in combat.

The scandal in which the army was revealed to have murdered many civilians and disguised them as rebels in order to inflate kill counts is known as "false positives," and up to 3,000 such killings have taken place in Colombia, according to some estimates.

The victims, who were between 16 and 28 years old, were recruited in July 2007 to do agricultural work in Cordoba and Sucre, but were reported as killed in fighting with the military a few months later, reported Radio Santa Fe.

With the exception of one child under 16, the remains of the victims have been identified and delivered to their families.

The authorities have established that civilians contacted the victims and offered up to COP750,000 a month for agricultural work, and then summoned them to different locations where they were executed.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12251-army-major-arrested-false-positives.html