The Colombian Army Killed a Notorious Drug Trafficker

A notorious trafficker was killed in Colombia by the army, said President Juan Manuel Santos, quoted by the France press.

Roberto Vargas Gutierrez, known as Gavilan, was the second man in the clan hierarchy of the Gulf Clan, the leading drug cartel in Colombia. Gavilan was shot dead in a military operation, the president said on Twitter. He specified that more details will be given today.

Colombian authorities gave a 500 million pesos prize (nearly USD 170,000) for capturing Gavilan. The Gulf Clan numbers 1,500 people from the far-right militias in Colombia, which were officially demobilized in 2006, according to the France press. The group is mainly engaged in drug trafficking. The Colombian authorities launched a major offensive to break the Gulf Clan.

Dairo leader Antonio Uguaga, called Ottoniel, is the most wanted person in the country. In July, the Colombian army killed the third man in the Gulf Clan hierarchy, the brother of Gavilan Efren Vargas Gutierrez, nicknamed Kulo de Toro. Colombia is the largest producer of cocaine in the world, recalls France's press quoted by BTA.