Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

What We're Watching: Colombia nabs top druglord

What We're Watching: Colombia nabs top druglord

Dairo Antonio Usuga David, alias "Otoniel", top leader of the Gulf clan, poses for a photo while escorted by Colombian military soldiers inside a helicopter after being captured, in Turbo, Colombia October 23, 2021.

Colombian Defense Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Make us preferred on Google

Colombia nabs top drug kingpin: Colombian security forces have arrested Dairo Antonio Usuga, the most-wanted drug kingpin in the country since Pablo Escobar. Usuga – known by his alias Otoniel – is head of the notorious Gulf Cartel, and will likely be extradited to face a slew of charges in the US, which had a $5 million bounty on his head. While some say Otoniel's capture is a big win for Colombia, others say that rather than striking a blow to narco-related violence, the strategy of taking down kingpins creates more power struggles within cartels, in turn leading to more violence and bloodshed. This was the case following the 1993 death of Escobar and the 2016 arrest of "El Chapo" Guzmán in Mexico. Still, if Otoniel spills the beans on his operations in exchange for a lighter sentence in America, that could provide critical intelligence for Colombian and US drug enforcement to better target other narcos at a time when large swaths of rural Colombia are now ruled by gangs, contributing to regional instability.

More For You

​US President Donald Trump arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on May 13, 2026.

US President Donald Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit to the country, in Beijing, China, on May 13, 2026.

REUTERS/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump stepped off Air Force One after landing in Beijing today, and the Chinese rolled out the red carpet: military honor guard, three hundred students waving American and Chinese flags, state banquet on the schedule. Trump, who flew in with a delegation of top cabinet officials and some of the biggest names in American business, [...]
US President Trump arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport

US President Donald Trump arrives aboard Air Force One at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit to the country, in Beijing, China, May 13, 2026.

REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Trump touches down in Beijing ahead of Xi meetingWhen US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last met in October, the main topics – as they were in prior meetings – were trade, trade, and trade. When the two leaders meet again tomorrow, it won’t be the only issue this time, as Taiwan and the Iran war are also set to form part [...]
Hard number: Some African states turn to AI surveillance
Zac Weisz
While China has long been a leader in infrastructure investment across the African continent, it’s found a new way to continue to expand its influence – AI-powered surveillance technology. According to a recent study, many of these new systems have even been funded by Chinese banks. Nigeria boasts the continent's largest network of smart CCTV [...]
Argentina's President Javier Milei gestures in response to comments from deputies with Secretary of the Presidency Karina Milei, Minister of Human Capital Sandra Petovello, and Minister of Economy Luis Caputo.

The President of Argentina, Javier Milei (bottom left), gestures in response to comments from deputies, alongside Secretary of the Presidency Karina Milei (bottom right), Minister of Human Capital Sandra Petovello (top left), and Minister of Economy Luis Caputo (top right), during the Chief of Cabinet's management report session in Congress. (in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 29, 2026).

Silvana Safenreiter/NurPhoto
All across Latin America, right-wing leaders have been consolidating their power.In Argentina, Javier Milei’s La Libertad Avanza had a superb midterm election night last October, allowing the president to pass major labor reforms in March. Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa eased to reelection last year by a handsome margin. El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele no [...]