Posts Tagged ‘murder’
drug lord
Posted on: December 13, 2008
- In: World news
- 1 Comment
Colombia has extradited Diego Montoya, alleged to be one of the country’s most powerful drug lords, to the US to face trial for murder and drug trafficking.
The charges relate to Mr Montoya’s time as leader of the Norte del Valle cartel which, at its peak, reportedly exported 70% of cocaine sold in the US and EU.
Known as Don Diego, he ran a private army accused of 1,500 murders.
At the time of his 2007 arrest by the Colombian military, he was on the FBI’s “10 Most Wanted” list.
Mr Montoya arrived aboard a US military plane in Miami, where he is scheduled to appear in court on Monday to face 12 charges including drug trafficking, obstruction of justice, money-laundering and murder.
He faces at least 20 years in jail if convicted.
Earlier, television footage showed the handcuffed 50-year-old in sunglasses and a jacket under a bulletproof vest, being escorted by heavily-armed Colombian police to a military airbase in Bogota.
There, he was handed over to agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the DEA.
His extradition follows those of several other leading members of the cartel which Colombian authorities say has now been mostly dismantled.
Government coup
With a $5m (£3.4m) reward advertised for the capture of the billionaire known in Colombia’s underworld as the “boss of bosses”, Mr Montoya was arrested in his home province of Valle del Cauca.
His capture was seen as a huge coup for the government, ending the reign of one of the legends of the Colombian underworld.
“Colombia is closing a chapter in its fight against drug trafficking,” police chief General Oscar Naranjo told AFP news agency after the extradition.
“This extradition is perhaps the most important in years.”
Officials say Mr Montoya helped found the Norte del Valle cartel, based near the city of Cali.
The FBI said the cartel received help from left-wing guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups.
While his army, the Macho Men, has been largely dismantled, the Jeremy McDermott in Colombia says Mr Montoya’s place and the drug smuggling routes he ran have been taken over by a new boss known by the alias Combatant.
Colombia may be claiming another victory on the war on drugs, our correspondent adds, but the flow of illegal narcotics continues largely unchanged.
unrest in Greece
Posted on: December 10, 2008
Several thousand people have marched through the Greek capital Athens to protest at the government’s economic policies, as part of a general strike.
While turnout appeared lower than expected, the strike hit transport and the public sector and the city saw new unrest over the shooting of a teenager.
Rioters hurled several petrol bombs at police defending the court where two policemen faced charges over his death.
A defence lawyer says the youth was killed by a ricochet.
Greece’s prime minister has vowed to restore order and compensate businesses affected by the riots, which spread from Athens across Greek cities after the shooting on Saturday.
A lawyer for the officer who fired the shot which killed 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, who was buried on Tuesday, said ballistics tests on the fatal bullet had shown the death was an accident.
One police officer was charged with murder and a second was charged as an accomplice to murder.
The ballistics tests have not yet been published and the Grigoropoulos family has hired an independent pathologist to study the case to ensure there is no cover-up.
Union demands
The two main umbrella unions – the Greek General Confederation of Workers (GSEE) and the Civil Servants Supreme Administrative Council (ADEDY) – are demanding increased social spending in light of the global financial crisis, as well as higher wages and pensions.
They represent about 2.5 million workers – roughly half of the total Greek workforce.
For union leaders, though, the number of people who took part in the demonstration in Constitution Square was almost embarrassingly small, says the BBC’s Malcolm Brabant in the capital.
While flights in and out of Athens airport were cancelled, and some banks and businesses were closed, most private sector workers found ways to reach their work-places.
The Athens Traders Association estimates the rioting over the police shooting caused 1bn euros ($1.3bn, £874m) worth of damage.
Responding to the unrest, Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis promised on Wednesday to restore order and announced measures to compensate businesses that have suffered.
In a televised address, he pledged immediate aid packages, including cash payments and tax freezes, for businesses whose buildings had been torched or property looted.
“The government is determined to consolidate the feeling of public safety and to help businesses get back on their feet,” said Mr Karamanlis.
Opposition Socialist leader George Papandreou has called for early elections, saying the government has lost the confidence of the people and cannot handle the crisis.
Our correspondent says that the conservative government of Mr Karamanlis has been badly wounded but will survive, as long as the prime minister can maintain party discipline.
Karthik007's Blog 
Recent Comments