NEW YORK – The head of the Clan del Golfo, Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, better known as “Otoniel” and described Thursday by US authorities as “one of the most dangerous capos in the world”, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in New York. York.
Úsuga David, 50, answered questions from Judge Vera Scanlon, who ordered him to remain in prison due to his “significant drug trafficking activity.”
“Otoniel”, who was extradited to the United States on Wednesday from Colombia, was described Thursday at a press conference by senior US Justice Department officials as the head of the “most powerful” paramilitary and drug trafficking group in Colombia. Breon Peace, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said at the conference prior to the court hearing that Úsuga David is responsible for trafficking huge amounts of cocaine and for hiring hitmen to murder, kidnap and torture victims, including Colombian military and police.
According to Peace, the Clan del Golfo is one of the largest cocaine distributors in the world and once had more than 6,000 members.
In an indictment, the Colombian faced three charges, but Thursday during the hearing, Judge Scanlon said that they became two: running a criminal enterprise continuously and participating in an international criminal association to manufacture and distribute cocaine. Just being found guilty of the first charge would mean a life sentence for “Otoniel”.
The Colombian’s lawyer, Arturo Hernández, said during the hearing that he agreed not to ask for his client’s release and that he hoped he would go to trial by jury. The next hearing was set for June 2.
Ortiz was initially believed not to be the target of the shooting, but a private investigation points to Cesar “El Abudor” Peralta, and the motive was a matter of jealousy.
According to US prosecutors, Úsuga David was the leader of the Clan del Golfo, also called Los Urabeños and Clan Úsuga, between 2012 and until his capture in October 2021. The organization controls huge amounts of territory in the Urabá region of Antioquia. , Colombia, one of the areas that generates the most profits from drug sales within Colombia given its proximity to the border between that country and Panama and the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
Also in New York is Daniel Rendón-Herrera, who was head of the Clan del Golfo before “Otoniel” and pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in November in Brooklyn. He is expected to be sentenced in November.
During the hearing, prosecutor Gillian Kassner said that David Úsuga treated human life as if it were “disposable.” The session was basically protocol, with Judge Scanlon reading “Otoniel” his rights and US law.
During the presentation of Lupillo Rivera in Michoacán, several capos were captured.
Anne Milgram, head of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), said during Thursday’s press conference that between 2003 and 2021 the Clan del Golfo tried to import more than 198,000 pounds of cocaine into the United States and that her agency estimates that the value of that drug is more than 2,000 million dollars.
In the statement that the Department of Justice issued this Thursday, examples of the alleged coldness, crudeness and power that Úsuga David exercised are listed. For example, in early 2012, after the death of his brother, Juan de Dios Úsuga David, in a police raid, “Otoniel” ordered that a closure be imposed on the towns and communities within Clan control. of the Gulf. During this, members of the group ordered businesses to remain closed and residents to stay at home. For several days, the streets were empty, the statement said.
For years, “Otoniel” evaded capture by moving through a network of rural homes, avoiding cell phone use and relying on human couriers for communication, the statement said. Úsuga David was captured in a rural area in the Department of Antioquia.
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