The recently captured Daniel “El Loco” Barrera, one of Colombia’s most notorious drug lords, has been extradited from Venezuela, according to newswire EFE.
Venezuelan authorities on Wednesday handed Barrera over to the Colombian government, nearly two months after the drug lord was arrested on Venezuelan soil.
A plane carrying agents from Colombia’s national police and Interpol arrived at Maiquetia airport Wednesday morning to escort Barrera back to Bogota. Poor weather delayed the plane’s departure from the El Dorado airport by one hour.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos claimed on October 31 that Barrera would be returned to his home country to face drug trafficking and money laundering charges. Barrera, whose criminal record stretches back more than 20 years, has also been accused of murder, kidnapping and ordering forced disappearances.
Authorities arrested “the last of the great capos” on September 18 while he was using a phone booth in the Venezuelan town of San Cristobal. The operation brought together law enforcement agencies from Colombia, the United States, Britain and Venezuela.
Barrera used a network of disparate collaborators, including FARC guerrillas and former paramilitaries, to allegedly transport tons of cocaine to the United States. An indication of his place as one of Colombia’s most powerful criminals, the U.S. reportedly offered a $5 million reward for Barrera’s capture.
