BOGOTA, (Reuters) – The United States announced charges against 17 members of Colombia’s biggest criminal gang, Clan Usuga, yesterday for alleged involvement in drug trafficking and other crimes after a joint investigation with Colombian authorities.
Clan Usuga members have been sought by U.S. authorities for some time, and the State Department previously offered $5 million for information leading to the capture of its leader Dairo Antonio Usuga David, or “Otoniel.”
The charges brought by courts in New York and Miami accuse the gang members, including Otoniel, of conspiring to import more than 73 tonnes of cocaine into the United States between 2002 and 2015 and of using hitmen to murder, assault and kidnap.
Most of the 17 are still at large, the United States says.
