The property seized from Colombian drug traffickers will be used in the public interest. This was announced on Thursday, September 1, by the head of state Gustavo Petro.
“We must make sure that illegally acquired assets are transferred to the Colombian people,” he said during a public speech.
The total value of the confiscation is estimated at $4.9 billion. These funds will be sent to farmers, women’s protection organizations, youth associations and universities.
This practice of compensation for damages and social support at the expense of violators of the law is not new for Colombia. So, last year an agency was organized, whose tasks include the resale of seized houses, farms and other real estate.
However, things are not going as smoothly as planned, because potential buyers are afraid of becoming a target for the former owners after their release.
Earlier, on April 18, Colombian law enforcement officers identified and detained the leader of one of the gangs of the Gulf Clan drug cartel, Fausto Palacios.
According to the National Naval Forces of Colombia, Palacios previously headed the Manuel Jose Gaitan gang, and joined the Gulf Clan in 2012. For information about his whereabouts, the authorities appointed a monetary reward.
The Gulf Clan is the largest Colombian drug cartel. The criminal group was formed after the dissolution of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia in 2006. Many former members of the paramilitary group subsequently joined the “Clan”.
In October 2021, the President of the Republic, Ivan Duque Marquez, announced the detention of the leader of a drug cartel. Dairo Antonio Usuga, also known as Otoniel, was arrested during Operation Osiris.
The Head of State called Usuga’s detention the most serious blow inflicted on drug trafficking “in this century” and compared it in importance with the fall of drug lord Pablo Escobar.
