A retired army general and former prosecutor were among 24 people arrested Thursday for their alleged roles in a drug trafficking ring that exported cocaine through neighboring Venezuela, Colombia's chief prosecutor said.
Mario Iguaran said at least nine of those arrested are wanted for extradition by the United States.Retired Gen. Pauselino
Latorre is suspected of involvement in the gang's finances while his nephew, Leobardo Latorre, a former regional prosecutor, allegedly paid bribes to keep associates out of legal trouble, Iguaran said. He would not provide more details.
Extradition requests are not pending against the two, he said.
Attempts to reach the two Latorres or their representatives for comment were unsuccessful. Telephone calls to officials to locate the men or their lawyers were not returned.
The investigation began in July 2006 when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration provided Colombian prosecutors with leads on the band, which allegedly produced at least 10 metric tons (11 U.S. tons) of cocaine a month in labs in the northeastern states of Bolivar, Cesar and Norte de Santander.
«This criminal band used Venezuela as a bridge» to export drugs from Colombia to Europe and the U.S., Iguaran was quoted as saying in the communique.
He said those arrested _ in simultaneous raids early Thursday in 11 Colombian cities including Bogota _ would be charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud, among other crimes.
The operation was launched the same day the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Colombia with 10 members of the U.S. Congress on a trip to promote a free trade agreement with this volatile Andean nation.
U.S. and Colombian officials say Venezuela has increasingly become a conduit for the smuggling of cocaine to the United States and Europe.
Venezuela's socialist leader, President Hugo Chavez, denies the accusations, calling them politically motivated.
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