Dairo Antonio Usuga, also known as Otoniel, was apprehended by the Colombian Army in Uraba region, Antioquia province, on Sunday, 24 October, The Guardian reported.
The operation to catch Otoniel consisted of more than 500 officers and 22 helicopters.
"You beat me", is what he allegedly told the Colombian forces who caught him, Reuters reported.
According to a statement made by the Colombian Defense Ministry, the drug lord was responsible for annually trafficking around 200 tonnes of cocaine with his drug cartel – the Clan del Golfo – and has also been involved in the killings of more than 200 Colombian army members.
Both Colombia and the US had maintained a price on Otoniel's head, a handsome one that too.
While the Colombian government offered 3 billion pesos (about $800,000) for tips about Otoniel’s location, the US government offered $5 million for the same.
Colombian Defence Minister Diego Molano said that both rewards will be paid and Otoniel, who was described by the former to be a criminal of "the worst kind", would be extradited to the US for international crimes (drug trafficking).
General Jorge Vargas, who serves as the police chief of Colombia said that a lot of information regarding Otoniel's location actually came from the Clan del Golfo members, who betrayed Otoniel, Reuters added.
(With inputs from The Guardian and Reuters.)
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