Admin I Wednesday, August 09, 2023
COLOMBIA – A Federal Court, sitting in Colombia today sentenced Dairo Antonio Úsuga David to 45 years in prison for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise as a leader of the multibillion-dollar paramilitary and drug trafficking organisation known as the “Clan del Golfo” (CDG).
According to court documents, Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, aka Otoniel, 51, of Antioquia, Colombia, was also sentenced to 45 years in prison for engaging in a maritime narcotics conspiracy and 45 years in prison for engaging in a narcotics importation conspiracy.
The sentences will run concurrently. As part of the sentence, the court ordered Úsuga David to pay $216 million in forfeiture. The defendant pleaded guilty to all three charges in January 2023.
“Otoniel led one of the largest cocaine trafficking organisations in the world, where he directed the exportation of massive amounts of cocaine to the United States and ordered the ruthless execution of Colombian law enforcement, military officials, and civilians,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
“This sentence sends a clear message: the Justice Department will find and hold accountable the leaders of deadly drug trafficking organisations that harm the American people, no matter where they are and no matter how long it takes.”
“The FBI’s goal is to save lives by stopping the supply of deadly narcotics before they reach our borders and targeting the leadership of these criminal enterprises,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The success of this case is due to the collaborative efforts of partners who work to dismantle these dangerous drug trafficking organisations and stop these criminals from harming our communities.”
“Today’s sentencing demonstrates DEA’s commitment to defeating deadly criminal networks who have no regard for human life,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram.
“DEA investigated Otoniel – one of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers in the world – for almost 20 years. Under Otoniel’s leadership, the Clan del Golfo shipped massive quantities of cocaine into the United States, terrorised the Colombian people, and killed civilians, law enforcement officers, and rivals in Colombia who threatened the organisation’s trafficking operations. I commend the men and women of the DEA for their many years of outstanding work that culminated in today’s sentencing.”
“The human misery caused by the defendant’s incredibly violent, vengeful, and bloody reign as leader of the Clan del Golfo drug trafficking organisation may never be fully calculated due to its magnitude, but today’s lengthy sentence delivers appropriate justice and sends a message to other paramilitary and cartel leaders that the United States will seek their arrest and extradition in order to hold them accountable in our courts of law,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York.
“Today’s 45-year sentence of Clan del Golfo’s notoriously violent leader illustrates the United States’ tenacious approach to securing justice against those who threaten the security of our nation and communities,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe. “Cartel leaders like Úsuga David will be found, extradited, and prosecuted.”
“Today’s sentencing of notorious Clan del Golfo leader Dairo Antonio Úsuga David is the culmination of years of collaborative efforts between HSI and our local, federal and international law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “Criminals should take note of this sentencing and heed its warning; HSI remains committed to these joint efforts to disrupt and dismantle criminal organisations whose illicit activities threaten the national security of the United States and the safety of our communities.”
Between June 2003 and October 2021, Úsuga David was the leader of a continuing criminal enterprise responsible for exporting multi-ton shipments of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico and Central America for ultimate importation into the United States.
Additionally, Úsuga David participated in conspiracies to distribute narcotics via maritime vessels and also to manufacture and distribute cocaine, knowing and intending that the narcotics would be illegally imported into the United States.
