A group of thieves stole several tape recorders containing confessions he made Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias Otoniel, the most wanted drug trafficker in Colombia until his arrestto an extrajudicial body that investigates the armed conflict in the country, the entity reported this Saturday.
The recordings had been made on Wednesday by a member of the Truth Commission, an extrajudicial body born from the 2016 peace agreement that investigates the armed conflict.
The commission informed “That on February 18, 2022, unidentified persons entered the investigator’s home at night”according to a statement.
Otoniel: what is the power of the Clan del Golfo and why can’t it be compared with the posters from the time of Pablo Escobar
“In the incident (…) the digital recorders used in the interview and a computer were stolen,” the agency added.
The commission had already expressed on Thursday the need to have “guarantees” to interrogate Otoniel after several media outlets reported the presence of police officers during the investigations.
He also asked the authorities and the international community, including the UN, conditions to continue investigating “without intimidation.”
The truth of “Othniel”
“The Commission needs to hear the truth from Mr. Úsuga on crucial facts to understand the dynamics of the armed conflict and its persistence (…) The truth is a right of the victims and of society,” the text adds.
Dairo Antonio Úsuga, real name of Otoniel, was arrested in October 2021 in a jungle area near Panama during a police mega-operation.
The government of conservative Iván Duque has expressed its intention that he be extradited soon to the United States, which is requesting him for drug trafficking.
Otoniel is sentenced in Colombia for drug trafficking, homicide, terrorism, recruitment of minors and kidnapping.
Recently, Otoniel asked to be admitted to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), a tribunal resulting from the peace process with the former FARC guerrilla that contemplates alternative sentences to prison for those who confess the truth and make amends to the victims.
From a guerrilla and paramilitary past, Otoniel was the leader of the Clan del Golfothe largest drug gang in the country that exports some 300 tons of cocaine annually, according to official figures. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
