xrl.us/5xn8 -> www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2430913.ece
Sitemap From Times Online September 11, 2007 Lord of War is captured in his underpants Colombian army soldiers escort drug trafficker Diego Montoya after his arrest in Bogota, September 10 2007 Jenny Booth He was nicknamed the Lord of War, a ruthless Colombian cocaine baron blamed for the death of 1,500 people. His photo appeared alongside Osama bin Laden in the FBI Top 10 Most Wanted. But yesterday morning Diego Montoya was in plastic handcuffs, after soldiers found him cowering behind a bush dressed only in his T-shirt and underpants. "I lost," was said to be the laconic comment of one of the world's most wanted drug traffickers. Montoya was captured by an elite army unit during a pre-dawn raid on a farm where his mother and uncle were staying, in Valle del Cauca province.
He faces extradition to the United States within two months to stand trial on charges of leading the Norte del Valle cartel, considered Colombia's most dangerous drug trafficking organisation, and of shipping hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States and Europe. Hours after his capture, however, soldiers came under fire from members of his gang. By then Montoya was already aboard an air force plane back to the Colombian capital Bogota along with Mr Santos. "Drug traffickers take note: this is the future that awaits you," Mr Santos told a news conference, before Montoya limped out to be paraded before waiting journalists by five commandos. With his hair shorn and a close-cropped beard, flitting between grimaces and smiles, Montoya refused to answer any questions before he was taken away to the prosecutor's office for interrogation. Analysts say that in the cutthroat world of drug-trafficking Montoya stood out because of his combination of ruthless violence and intelligence. "He had ability, he rose through the ranks and became one of the last men standing after the rest fell," said Hank Twehues, an FBI special agent based in Miami who has been following the Norte del Valle cartel.
Have your say As usual, this will be propagated as some sort of massive victory in the war on drugs (Colombian TV broadcast blanket news coverage on the matter yesterday), even though this war is every bit as futile as the war in Iraq. The Colombian government has successfully destroyed the Medellin and Cali cartels (over the last 2 decades), however most studies have found an increase in cocaine production. The only real way to erradicate cocaine production would be to fight demand in the west, and thats easier said than done. Andrew Dickinson, Cali, Colombia Take one away, another will replace him. Joe, Toronto, Canada Have your say * Your View Please note the maximum number of characters is 1000.
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