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Colombia's most wanted drug lord captured in jungle raid

Dairo Antonio Usuga, Otoniel
Posted at 8:05 AM, Oct 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-24 08:05:23-04

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian authorities captured the country's most wanted drug trafficker for whom the U.S. government had been offering a $5 million reward.

Dairo Antonio Úsuga is better known by his alias "Otoniel" and is the alleged leader of the violent Gulf Clan cartel.

The country's president likened his capture to the arrest three decades ago of Pablo Escobar.

But his arrest and possible extradition to the U.S. is unlikely to rid Colombia of its cocaine problems.

Land dedicated to the production of coca jumped 16% last year to a record level unseen in two decades of U.S. eradication efforts.