Drug trafficker requested in extradition by the US escapes from prison in Bogotá

Drug trafficker requested in extradition by the US escapes from prison in BogotáBogotá, 18 Mar 2022 (AFP) - One of the most powerful drug traffickers of the Gulf Clan, known by the alias Matamba and requested in extradition by the United States, escaped this Friday from a Bogotá prison, in a new scandal involving the authorities Juan Larrinson Castro Estupiñán, Matamba, a prisoner in La Picota prison, had been captured in May and was facing prosecution in the state of Florida for money laundering and trafficking in cocaine and heroin. also in Bogotá, he escaped with the alleged complicity of the prison guard. “I already spoke with the attorney general of the nation this morning so that all the necessary arrests will be made to those who led to that escape by the prison guard,” President Iván Duque told the press. One of the custodians has already been captured, added Minister of Justice Wilson Ruiz. Until the moment of his arrest, Matamba was considered the main liaison of the Mexican Sinaloa New Generation cartel in the Colombian Pacific, on the border with Ecuador.In Colombia he is also investigated by the association to commit crimes for the purpose of murder, extortion and illegal carrying of weapons. Estupiñán was part of the communist guerrilla before fighting alongside the far-right paramilitaries, staunch enemies of the rebels. After negotiating with Otoniel, he assumed command of a group of 200 men within the Gulf Clan, according to the authorities. Following his escape, President Duque announced “a comprehensive reform of Colombia's penitentiary and prison system” following corruption scandals involving the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC). Earlier this month, the Colombian government removed the chief of prisons and the director of the country's largest prison for the irregular exit permits granted to businessman Carlos Mattos, arrested for the alleged payment of bribes in a lawsuit with South Korean multinational Hyundai. saw Mattos leave La Picota prison twice in an Inpec vehicle. Then walking unattended and entering a building where his office would be, according to the media outlet. “The system cannot continue to engage in these behaviors without exemplary sanctions,” Duque insisted this friday.vel/lv/ll