Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos said Monday his government has raised the reward for top commanders of guerrilla group FARC and drug trafficking groups active in the north of the country.
Santos announced a $50,000 reward for six commanders of neo-paramilitary group “Los Urabeños” and five members of drug gang “Los Rastrojos” suspected to be operating in the Caribbean region.
The President offered rewards up to $700,000 for FARC commanders “Isaias Trujillo,” and “Roman Ruiz,” also active in the north.
According to Santos, national authorities have so far been able to arrest 112 members of illegal armed groups in the course of 2012.
The north of Colombia has seen a surge in drug-related violence in the course of the year with the Urabeños shutting down all businesses in an area the size of Switzerland and the FARC attacking security forces in the Antioquia and Santander departments.
