Colombia Sees Largest Drug Raid In History, Authorities Find 8 Tons Of Cocaine Reportedly Owned By Clan Úsuga

cocaine colombia President Juan Manuel Santon Clan Usuga Urabenos Dario Otoniel Usuga Micolta

By Margaux Miller , Parent Herald May 17, 05:19 am

Colombian authorities found and seized approximately eight tons of cocaine from a local drug ring over the past few days. Authorities announced the news on Sunday after discovering 17,500 pounds of cocaine in an underground bunker.

The president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, shared the news on Twitter on Sunday, noting that the drug bust was, historically, the country's biggest one. He further said that it was a "crushing blow" to Colombian criminals.

Cocaine Bust

As it turns out, the drug bust was one of many initiatives to combat Clan úsuga, one of the biggest and most feared drug cartels in Colombia. A press release from the Colombian National Police stated that a handful of weapons were confiscated, along with the arrest of four men.

Felicitaciones @PoliciaColombia: operativo en Turbo incautó la mayor cantidad de droga en la historia. Golpe contundente a criminales.⁠⁠⁠⁠

— Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) May 15, 2016

CNN further reported that one of the four arrested men, dubbed with an alias such as "Micolta," has been charged with homicide, conspiracy and extortion. In addition to that, Micolta is undergoing investigation for other criminal offenses.

De esta forma nuestra @PoliciaColombia @PoliciaAntiNar logró incautar 8 toneladas de cocaína del #Clanúsuga pic.twitter.com/Sr9TCDyVbw — Mindefensa Colombia (@mindefensa) May 15, 2016

The drugs were hidden at a banana plantation in Turbo, close to the Colombia-Panama border, as per NBC News (via Time). The seized cocaine is reported to be worth $240 million.

Clan Úsuga

Clan Úsuga is known to be a notorious gang of drug traffickers, who are also involved in illegal mining and extortion to gain income. The Úrabeños gang have also been known to murder innocent civilians who were caught in the middle of disputes against rebels or the country's armed forces, as per Vice News.

.@PoliciaAntiNar y #BloquedeBúsqueda @PoliciaColombia incautaron 8 toneladas de cocaína del #Clanúsuga en #Antioquia pic.twitter.com/kiS32BwdB1 — Mindefensa Colombia (@mindefensa) May 15, 2016

Vice further notes that the government of Colombia approximates that "2,000 active members" are currently part of the Úrabeños. The State Department has already put up a reward of $5 million for whoever aids in capturing the drug cartel's leader, Dario "Otoniel" Úsuga, CNN reported.