Dairo Antonio Úsuga

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Dairo Antonio Úsuga David
Dario-Antonio-Usuga-David-1.webp
Born (1971-09-15) September 15, 1971 (age 53)
Necoclí, Antioquia, Colombia
Other namesOtoniel
OccupationLeader of Gulf Clan
Criminal statusIncarcerated
Criminal penalty45 years imprisonment
Reward amount
Colombia:$800,000
U.S:$5,000,000
Imprisoned at ADX Florence

Dairo Antonio Úsuga David (born September 15, 1971 [1] ), also known as Otoniel, is a Colombian former drug lord and former leader of the drug trafficking group the Gulf Clan (Spanish: Los Urabeños), [2] [3] [4] He is accused of sending dozens of shipments of cocaine to the United States, killing police officers, recruiting minors, and sexually abusing children, among other crimes. [5] After being sought by Colombian authorities for a decade, he was captured and arrested in October 2021, and extradited to the United States in May 2022. At the time of his capture, 132 warrants for his arrest had been issued. [6] He pled guilty in New York to charges related to his time as Gulf Clan leader and is currently serving a 45-year sentence. [7] He also faces coordinated charges in Florida. [7]

Contents

Early affiliations

Born on September 15, 1971, in Necoclí, in northwestern Colombia, Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, known as "Otoniel," came from a modest peasant family. In 1989, at the age of 18, he joined the Popular Liberation Army (EPL), a guerrilla group with a strong presence in the region that sought to defend poor peasants against landowners and the government. "He was not a revolutionary. But it was all there was and he went with them," his mother explained in a 2015 interview with a journalist. The EPL signed a peace agreement with the government two years later, in 1991, and its members returned to civilian life. He then joined the United Self-Defenses of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, or AUC), a Colombian far-right paramilitary and drug trafficking group. [8]

In 2005, Úsuga began working for Daniel Rendón Herrera, the then leader of the Los Urabeños drug trafficking group. [9] Otoniel and his brother Giovanni (born Juan de Dios Usuga) took control of the Los Urabeños in 2009. [8] After Giovanni was shot and killed during a police raid, Otoniel took full leadership of the drug trafficking group. [8] New York federal prosecutors described Úsuga as “the most violent and significant” Colombian drug trafficker since Pablo Escobar, and as the Gulf Clan's "supreme leader." [7]

Colombian police have sought the arrest of Úsuga since around 2011. [6] In 2015, the BBC reported that 1,200 Colombian anti-drug police were involved in the search for Úsuga. [10] The same year a Colombian police helicopter searching for Úsuga crashed, killing 18. [11] In 2017 the US Department of State offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. [3] [1] Also in 2017, Colombian anti-trafficking police dropped flyers from helicopters offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. [12] In 2017 Úsuga published a video on Facebook in which he offered to submit to a negotiated surrender. [13] [14]

In early 2021 Colombian authorities intensified their search efforts for Úsuga, following heightened levels of cocaine production. [6]

Capture

Early in October 2021, Colombian intelligence officials identified Úsuga's likely hideout as being in the Urabá, Antioquia region of north-western Colombia, near the Panamanian border. [6] [15] [16] The detection of his location was facilitated by the tracking of cartel members who were bringing him a specific type of medication to treat his kidney disease. [6] Early on the morning of October 22, a military team code-named "El Blanco" surrounded his believed hiding place with hundreds of troops, 20 helicopters, 10 unmanned surveillance drones. [6] The capture involved blocking rivers and roads that could have been used as escape routes. [6] Colombian Navy ships were stationed offshore to prevent any escape by sea. [6] Colombian military forces subsequently captured Úsuga, who was revealed to be hiding in a remote mountainous area. [15] [16] Úsuga was captured the afternoon of October 23, [6] and at the time of his arrest, Úsuga was the most wanted drug lord in Colombia, with the Colombian government issuing an $800,000 bounty for his capture. [17] He was also revealed to still be involved in trafficking, though his cartel by this point was severely weakened. [18]

He was heard in mid-February 2022 by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), where he reportedly said he had organized his surrender and worked with the Colombian army, according to leaked media reports. The police interrupted the hearing, claiming to suspect Otoniel of planning his escape. Digital recordings containing his testimony to the JEP were later stolen. [19]

On May 4, 2022, Úsuga was extradited to the United States. [20]

Trial

In January 2023, he pleaded guilty in New York, meaning he was slated to face decades in prison for leading a violent cartel and paramilitary group. [21]

Úsuga was sentenced to 45 years in prison in New York in August 2023. [22] U.S. District Judge Dora Irizarry, who was the judge in charge of his sentencing, found that it was proven that he had shipped nearly 100,000 kg (about 220,500 pounds) of cocaine into the United States while he was serving as the leader of the crime syndicate Clan del Golfo (Golf Clan), described him as "extraordinary" and among drug dealers "who were more prolific than Pablo Escobar." [22] In addition, "Otoniel" was fined $216 million. [23]

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Úsuga "ordered the reckless execution of Colombian police officers, soldiers, and civilians". [24] In addition to his New York charges, he also faces coordinated charges in south Florida, which include conspiracy to ship vast quantities of cocaine north by land and sea. [7]

As of January 2024, Úsuga is housed at ADX Florence, the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado under Federal Register Number 99420-509. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medellín Cartel</span> Former Colombian drug cartel

The Medellín Cartel was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia, that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar. It is often considered to be the first major "drug cartel" and was referred to as such due to the organization's upper echelons and overall power-structure being built on a partnership between multiple Colombian traffickers operating alongside Escobar. Other members included Jorge Luis Ochoa Vásquez, Fabio Ochoa Vásquez, Juan David Ochoa Vásquez, José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, and Carlos Lehder. Escobar's main partner in the organization was his cousin Gustavo Gaviria, who handled much of the cartel's shipping arrangements and the more general and detailed logistical aspects of the cocaine trafficking routes and international smuggling networks, which were supplying at least 80% of the world's cocaine during its peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Lehder</span> Former Colombian drug trafficker

Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas is a Colombian and German former drug lord who was co-founder of the Medellín Cartel. Born to a German father and Colombian mother, he was the first high-level drug trafficker extradited to the United States, after which he was released from prison in the United States after 33 years in 2020. Originally from Armenia, Colombia, Lehder eventually ran a cocaine transport empire on Norman's Cay island, 210 miles (340 km) off the Florida coast in the central Bahamas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela</span> Colombian drug lord (1939-2022)

Gilberto José Rodríguez Orejuela was a Colombian drug lord and one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel. Orejuela formed the cartel with his brother, Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, José Santacruz Londoño, and Hélmer Herrera. The cartel emerged to prominence in the early 1990s, and was estimated to control about 80% of the American and 90% of the European cocaine markets in the mid-1990s. Rodríguez Orejuela was captured after a 1995 police campaign by Colombian authorities and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He obtained early release in 2002, and was re-arrested in 2003, after which he was extradited to the United States. There, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, where he died in 2022.

The Norte del Valle Cartel, or North Valley Cartel, was a drug cartel that operated principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia, most notably the coastal city of Buenaventura. It rose to prominence during the 1990s, after the Cali and Medellín Cartels fragmented, and it was known as one of the most powerful organizations in the illegal drug trade. The drug cartel was led by the brothers Luis Enrique and Javier Antonio Calle Serna, alias "Los Comba", until its takedown in 2008 by the authorities of Colombia and Venezuela, with cooperation of the United States DEA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diego León Montoya Sánchez</span> Colombian drug trafficker

Diego León Montoya Sánchez, also known as Don Diego, is a Colombian former crime boss and leader of the Norte del Valle drug cartel. On October 25, 2002, Montoya was listed as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker on the United States Department of Treasury's Specially Designated National List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduardo Arellano Félix</span> Mexican drug trafficker

Eduardo Arellano Félix is a Mexican drug trafficker, brother of Benjamín, Ramón, Javier and sister, Enedina, all drug traffickers. The Arellano-Félix Organization, also known as the Tijuana Cartel, has been responsible for numerous murders and the smuggling of thousands of tons of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine for more than a decade. The DEA believes that the Arellano-Félix brothers were responsible for the numerous smuggling tunnels that were found in January 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela</span> Colombian drug lord

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Orejuela is a convicted Colombian drug lord, formerly one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel, based in the city of Cali. He is the younger brother of Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela. He married Miss Colombia 1974, Martha Lucía Echeverry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabio Ochoa Vásquez</span> Colombian drug trafficker

Fabio Ochoa Vásquez is a former leading member of the Medellín Cartel, along with his older brothers Juan David and Jorge Luis. His role briefly made him a billionaire. He was extradited to the US and served 25 years of a 30-year sentence in federal prison. He was released from prison in December 2024, and returned to Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorge Ochoa</span> Former Colombian drug trafficker

Jorge Luis Ochoa Vásquez is a Colombian former drug trafficker who was one of the founding members of the Medellín Cartel in the late 1970s. The cartel's key members were Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder, José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, Gustavo Gaviria, Jorge Ochoa, and his brothers Juan David and Fabio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luis Hernando Gómez</span>

Luis Hernando Gómez Bustamante is a Colombian drug trafficker for the Norte del Valle Cartel, who was arrested in 2004 and, on July 19, 2007 transported for extradition to the United States on charges of money laundering and drug smuggling. Gomez, also known as "Rasguño" is reported to have received his nickname after dismissing the wound caused by being grazed in the cheek by a bullet as "just a scratch". He is currently incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution, Mendota with a projected release date of 2032.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía</span> Colombian drug trafficker

Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía is a drug trafficker who, until his capture, was one of the leaders of the North Valley Cartel, who was wanted on drug smuggling, murder and RICO charges in the United States of America. In addition to the trafficking of cocaine, it is believed Ramírez also participated in money laundering and trafficking of heroin. Through Ramírez’ illegal enterprise, he has amassed a fortune estimated at $1.8 billion by the US Department of State. He has been cited as "... one of the most powerful and most elusive drug traffickers in Colombia" by Adam J. Szubin, Director of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Valdez Villarreal</span> Mexican-American drug lord

Edgar Valdez Villarreal, also known as La Barbie, is a Mexican-American former drug lord and high-ranking lieutenant of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. Valdez is serving a 49-year prison sentence at USP Coleman II in Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Rendón Herrera</span> Colombian drug lord (born 1966)

Daniel Rendón Herrera is a Colombian drug lord. He was captured on 15 April 2009 while hiding in a jungle.

A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfredo Beltrán Leyva</span> Convicted Mexican drug lord

Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, commonly referred to by his alias El Mochomo, is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former leader of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, a drug trafficking organization. He was one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords. Beltrán Leyva was responsible for smuggling multi-ton shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine to the United States from Mexico and South America between the 1990s and 2000s. He worked alongside his brothers Héctor, Carlos, and Arturo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Rastrojos</span> Defunct Colombian drug cartel

Los Rastrojos is a Colombian drug cartel and paramilitary group engaged in the Colombian armed conflict. The group was formed by Norte del Valle cartel capo Wilber Varela, alias "Jabon" and one of his right-hand men, "Diego Rastrojo", around 2004 when Varela fell out with fellow-capo Diego Leon Montoya, alias "Don Diego". The group became independent after the murder of its main founder in Venezuela in 2008 and at its height was one of the most important drug trafficking organizations in Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan del Golfo</span> Colombian neo-paramilitary drug cartel

The Clan del Golfo, also known as Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and formerly called Los Urabeños and Clan Úsuga, is a prominent Colombian neo-paramilitary group and currently the country's largest drug cartel.

La Oficina de Envigado is a drug cartel and criminal organization originally founded as an enforcement wing and debt collection service of Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel. Despite being noted for its historical affiliation with drug trafficking and other organized crime activities, Oficina de Envigado's criminal activities were no longer centered on direct involvement in such activity by 2019 and are now mainly focused on providing services to lower level drug traffickers and mafia groups. It operates throughout Colombia, but mainly in the cities of Medellín and Envigado. It also controlled extortion, gambling, and money laundering businesses within the Valle de Aburrá that surrounds Medellín. It positioned itself as the chief mediator and debt collector in drug trafficking disputes and maintained major connections with Colombian paramilitaries and guerillas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drug barons of Colombia</span> Colombian crime bosses

Drug barons of Colombia refer to some of the most notable drug lords which operate in illegal drug trafficking in Colombia. Several of them, notably Pablo Escobar, were long considered among the world's most dangerous and most wanted men by U.S. intelligence. "Ruthless and immensely powerful", several political leaders, such as President Virgilio Barco Vargas, became convinced that the drug lords were becoming so powerful that they could oust the formal government and run the country.

Dolly de Jesús Cifuentes Villa, born 14 June 1964, is a drug trafficker from Medellín, Colombia, associated with the Sinaloa Cartel of Mexico. She was arrested and extradited to the United States in August 2012. Villa was sentenced to five years in prison in January 2014 for conspiracy to import and manufacture cocaine and subsequently released in 2015 after serving two years in prison in Colombia and three in the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dario Antonio Usuga David (Captured)". United States Department of State.
  2. ↑ Comolli, Virginia; et al. (25 May 2020). Armed Conflict Survey 2020. Routledge for The International Institute for Strategic Studies. ISBN   978-1-000-19224-7.
  3. 1 2 "Colombia seizes 11 tonnes of cocaine, its biggest haul ever". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "Miembro de la banda 'Los Úsuga' amenazó a la Policía cuando era capturado" (in Spanish). notimérica. Europa Press. 8 September 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021.
  5. ↑ Griffin, Oliver; Bocanegra, Nelson; Acosta, Luis Jaime (23 October 2021). "Colombia nabs Otoniel, drug kingpin and gang leader -government". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Colombia's president hails capture of cartel boss Dairo Antonio Úsuga". the Guardian. 24 October 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Zraick, Karen (8 August 2023). "45-Year Sentence for Otoniel, Who Ran a Colombian Drug Cartel". New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 University, © Stanford; Complaints, California 94305 Copyright. "MMP: Bandas Criminales". cisac.fsi.stanford.edu.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "Colombian drug lord Otoniel to be extradited to US". news.yahoo.com.
  10. ↑ "Colombia's hunt for elusive drug lord Otoniel". BBC News. 24 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Colombia: 16 policías murieron en accidente en helicóptero". laprensa.peru.com (in Spanish). 4 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "Colombian police drop reward leaflets for drug lord". apnews.com. June 2017.
  13. ↑ "Colombia to extradite Otoniel to the US as soon as possible". www.aljazeera.com.
  14. ↑ "Colombia's Gulf Clan says it is ready to surrender". BBC News. 6 September 2017.
  15. 1 2 Levenson, Michael; Villamil, Sofía (24 October 2021). "Colombia Announces Capture of Leader of Major Drug Cartel". The New York Times.
  16. 1 2 "Colombia's most wanted drug lord Otoniel captured". bbc.com. BBC News. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  17. ↑ "Colombia's most wanted drug lord Otoniel captured". BBC News. October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Colombia authorities capture country's most wanted drug trafficker". Leader Telegram. October 23, 2021. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021.
  19. ↑ "Rocambolesco robo de las confesiones de 'Otoniel', el narcotraficante líder del Clan del Golfo". 20 February 2022.
  20. ↑ "Colombia extradites drug lord 'Otoniel' to the United States". Aljazeera. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  21. ↑ "Colombia's most-wanted drug kingpin pleads guilty in New York". The Guardian. Associated Press. 25 January 2023.
  22. 1 2 Cohen, Luc (8 August 2023). "Colombian cartel leader compared to Pablo Escobar sentenced to 45 years in US prison". Reuters. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  23. ↑ Peltz, Jennefer (8 August 2023). "Once Colombia's most-wanted drug lord, the kingpin known as Otoniel gets 45 years in prison in US". Associated Press. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  24. ↑ "USA: Kolumbianischer Drogenboss zu 45 Jahren Haft verurteilt". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  25. ↑ "Inmate Locator". www.bop.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.