Colombia says nabs top drug suspect wanted by U.S.
Source: Reuters
BOGOTA, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Colombian police said on Monday they captured a top drug trafficking suspect wanted by the United States after a gunbattle at a farm west of Bogota. Eugenio Montoya, along with his older brother Diego Leon "Don Diego" Montoya, is suspected of leading the Norte de Valle drug cartel and accused by Colombian and U.S. officials of money-laundering and shipping cocaine to the United States. "He is a key player in this organization," National Police Commander Jorge Castro told reporters after officers escorted Montoya from a plane at Bogota airport. "He is sought for extradition by U.S. courts. This is an important arrest." The Montoya brothers are accused of being among the 12 most-wanted drug traffickers in Colombia by Washington, which has offered rewards of up to $5 million for their capture. Authorities believe the Norte de Valle cartel is also behind scores of murders in the region where it operates after disputes within the group broke out three years ago. Colombia is the world's top producer of cocaine, with much of the 600 tons made each year smuggled into the United States and Europe. President Alvaro Uribe, an ally to Washington, has received millions of dollars in U.S. aid to fight the drug trade and a four-decade insurgency by leftist rebels, who have turned to the narcotics business to finance operations.
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