The leader of the Colombian gang Clan del Golfo, “Otoniel”, extradited to the United States in May 2022, pleaded guilty this Wednesday to international cocaine trafficking in a New York court, where he faces life imprisonment.
After acknowledging that as part of the “military work, murders were committed” by his organization, which could have reached 6,000 men, he also stated that the clan “provided security to laboratories and drug traffickers and collected taxes” for the cocaine that transited through territories. under his control.
“When convicted, Usuga David will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to life in prison. As part of the plea bargain, he also accepted a $216 million forfeiture judgment,” the Brooklyn US Attorney said. , Breon Peace.
A minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Otoniel, who had reigned since 2012 as head of the organization, made up of remnants of far-right paramilitary groups, pleaded guilty to directing an ongoing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine, as well as maritime conspiracy to traffic drugs, a charge contained in a proceeding in a federal court in Florida.
His extradition in May 2022, seven months after his arrest in Colombia, was followed by a bloody campaign of assassinations against police officers in his country. But after the election of leftist President Gustavo Petro, a supporter of negotiations with various armed groups, as head of Colombia, Otoniel had asked his gang in August 2022 to put an end to this wave of murders.
According to the DEA, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, the Gulf Cartel collaborated with the Mexican cartels of Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación to smuggle drugs into the United States.
According to the agency, 90% of the drugs that reach the US market come from Colombia and are often mixed with fentanyl, a powerful and lethal substance added by Mexican cartels. In 2021, the United States recorded 108,000 overdose deaths, a record.
Source: BFM TV
