Alias ’Otoniel’ was captured in the mountains of Antioquia and is imprisoned in Bogotá, but the United States, which “cooperated in his capture,” had requested his extradition, among other things, for drug trafficking.
Colombia News.
Despite the controversy over whether his delivery was arranged or ended up subdued by the public force, alias ‘Otoniel’ fell last October 2021 in the operation ‘Osiris’ Military and Police Campaign ‘Agamenón’, he was transferred to Bogotá where he remains imprisoned , but this Friday President Iván Duque signed the extradition order to the United States.
After six years of searching and operations, the capo was located by the authorities in a remote area of the Nudo de Paramillo, between Cerro Yoki and Cerro Azul, jurisdiction of his native Necoclí, in Antioquia.
At that time, an extradition request from North America was already weighing.
However, said request was formalized in November 2021, when a court of the Southern District of Florida sent it to Colombia.
This request was endorsed by the Supreme Court of Justice this week.
The condition is that even if he is imprisoned and sentenced in the United States, they will have to allow him to continue declaring and providing information that will clarify other crimes in Colombia. It is estimated that Otoniel would have more than 200 homicides to his credit.
“He has pleaded not guilty to all charges,” his defense reported a few days ago. They also requested that he enter the JEP and he was denied.
I just signed the extradition of alias ‘Otoniel’, the worst drug trafficker and criminal in the recent history of Colombia. The country’s institutions show his strength and forcefulness. #ItsWithFacts #He who lives by the sword will die by the sword pic.twitter.com/Dfhv4OpPkf
– Ivan Duke ?? (@IvanDuque) April 8, 2022
criminal power
Úsuga David besides being known as ‘Otoniel’, is also called ‘Mauricio’.
He is 50 years old, was born in the department of Antioquia and began his criminal career 34 years ago.
He was a young man, he was only 16 and was already part of the disappeared guerrilla of the Popular Liberation Army (EPL).
According to a report from the authorities, as a member of said organization “he began to gain experience in handling weapons and criminal structures.”
What would have “catapulted” him to lead activities such as drug trafficking, illegal mining, extortion and smuggling.
At the age of 19, and after spending three years in the EPL, he demobilized along with 3,000 other guerrillas.
However, he continued to commit crimes as a member of the now defunct United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).
To later “perform as one of the leaders of the ‘Bloque Centauros’ in the Llanos Orientales, alongside his brother Juan de Dios Úsuga David, known in the world of crime as ‘Giovanny'”.
After that and as the investigations of the authorities have established, he and his brother managed to become the “main lieutenants of the drug trafficker Daniel Rendón Herrera or ‘Don Mario'”.
rise and power
After the capture of ‘Don Mario’, in April 2009 also in Necoclí, Antioquia, the brothers ‘Giovanny’ and ‘Otoniel’ «inherited control of the criminal, structural and financial scaffolding of the ‘Clan del Golfo’.
The Úsuga David, the powerful family behind the Clan del Golfo
Which included “armed men, urban support networks, collection centers, drug trafficking routes and multiple pieces of furniture and real estate.”
They managed to spread to various regions of the country.
Together with his brother, who assumed leadership, ‘Otoniel’ became a target not only for the Colombian authorities, but also for the United States government.
Country that had offered up to 5 million dollars in reward for information leading to his capture.
IN COLOMBIA, A REWARD OF UP TO 3,000 MILLION PESOS WAS OFFERED FOR ITS LOCATION.
In 2012 his brother ‘Giovanny’ died in the middle of a police operation and ‘Otoniel’ became the maximum leader of the clan.
An operation that lasted more than 6 years
Colombia, the United States and the United Kingdom worked together to find his whereabouts.
The operation that began to locate it lasted more than 6 years and more than 3 thousand men were placed at its service. Presenting several casualties.
‘Othniel’ figure 128 arrest warrants for different crimes such as drug trafficking, extortion, homicide, forced displacement, arms trafficking, formation of armed groups, conspiracy to commit crimes and crimes against humanity, among others.
In addition, He has seven convictions in force. and eight insurance measures.
Two red circulars, one blue from INTERPOL and an extradition request issued by a United States court.
