COLOMBIA: Colombia captures top cocaine boss wanted by U.S.

Colombia's top drugs lord, known as the "boss of bosses" for smuggling hundreds of metric tons of cocaine to the United States, was captured on Monday (September 10) in the country's biggest narcotics arrest in years. Diego Montoya, also called "Don Diego," was on the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's "Ten Most Wanted" list and had a $5 million price on his head. Authorities held a press conference at a military airport in Bogota, explaining the army caught Montoya in the western Colombia. "Army special forces and the CTI (Technical Investigation Department) of the attorney generals office captured at the Pital farm, town of the Bergal, municipality of Sarzal, in the Cauca's valley, Diego Montoya Sanchez, alias "Don Diego" who is considered the world's most wanted drug trafficker," Colombia Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos told journalists. Santos added that Montoya's trafficking ring was responsible for moving large amounts of cocaine to overseas markets. The 230-pound Montoya, known for his heavy build and links to right-wing paramilitary militias, helped found the Norte del Valle cartel based near the city of Cali. It is the only remaining Colombian gang to control the trade from the cultivation of coca plants, to production of cocaine and its exportation. The capture comes during a scandal in which high level military officers are accused of taking bribes to protect Montoya, who has led bloody battles against rival gangs for control of smuggling routes leading to the Pacific coast. Montoya built his empire using paramilitary fighters to brutally control rural areas used in the production and transportation of cocaine. The paramilitary fighters have committed some of the worst massacres of this Andean country's four-decade-old war between left-wing guerrillas and the government.

ITN Source | September 11, 2007

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