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Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos Fernando Vergara/AP/Press Association Images

Colombia says last top drug lord arrested

Daniel “El Loco” Barrera, alleged to be the country’s last major drug lord, has been arrested in an international sting.

COLOMBIAN OFFICIALS HAVE said that Daniel “El Loco” Barrera, alleged to be the country’s last major drug lord, has been caught in neighbouring Venezuela in an international sting led from Washington.

“The last of the great capos has fallen,” President Juan Manuel Santos announced on national television, adding that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Britain’s MI6 intelligence service had provided support.

Barrera, whose outfit is estimated to have sent more than 900 tons of cocaine to the United States and Europe, was caught in the Venezuelan city of San Cristobal, said Santos, adding that the drug lord had criminal ties to FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels and paramilitaries.

‘Major coup’

“This is perhaps the most important capture of recent times,” the president said, thanking the Venezuelan government for its help.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Tareck El Aissami confirmed the arrest on Twitter, calling it a “major coup” for his country and adding that “images” and “details of the operation” would be released Wednesday.

Venezuela’s foreign ministry said Barrera was captured “after an intelligence operation carried out by Venezuelan authorities,” without mentioning any foreign involvement.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has long had rocky relations with Washington and regularly accuses the United States of trying to undermine his leftist government.

Santos said the operation “was led from Washington,” adding that the head of Colombia’s national police, General Jose Leon Riano, had helped direct it from the US capital.

Arrested in San Cristobal

Speaking from Washington, Leon Riano told the Caracol television network that authorities had tracked Barrera for four months before arresting him at a phone booth in San Cristobal.

He added that the operation had been orchestrated from Washington because it required “special technical support.” US authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.

In 2010 the US Treasury had named Barrera a “special designated narcotics trafficker,” saying he faced criminal charges in New York and was allied with the FARC, Latin America’s longest-running insurgency.

In the 1980s and early 1990s Colombian cartels dominated the American drug trade, but a US-supported government crackdown has left local gangs in increasing disarray.

15.4 per cent  of capital’s homicides linked to drugs

In 2011, 252 of Bogota’s 1,632 registered homicides — 15.4 percent — were linked to drugs, according to official figures.

The regional cocaine trade, however, is still alive and well: in 2011 Colombia was the world’s largest cocaine producer, according to a United Nations report, though neighboring Peru is expected to soon overtake it.

Colombian criminal gangs as well as leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups sell the cocaine to Mexican criminal syndicates, who then smuggle it into the United States and Europe.

Colombia recently agreed to relaunch peace talks with the leftist FARC after a decade-long hiatus, raising hopes of resolving Latin America’s last major armed conflict.

- © AFP, 2012

Read: US agents ‘removed’ after Colombian prostitute scandal>

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    Mute Johnny
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:58 AM

    Can never understand people who are willing to pay slightly more for peroni. It is definitely not a superior beer, is bland and hails from a region far from renowned for their brewing skills. so why fall for the marketing and the fancy tap?

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    Mute David Cullen
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:03 AM

    It’s a good bottle of beer, better than others on offer in most pubs. On tap it’s rubbish.

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    Mute Roland 303
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:05 AM

    Not a huge fan of Nastro Azzuro myself but Peroni red label is a class beer. Would be my number 1, followed by Starapramen and Budvar.

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    Mute jason bourne
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:05 AM

    I love peroni. Lovely rich smooth taste and I don’t seem to have as bad a hangover the next day for some reason. There are some places where it’s on a par, price wise, with hinekan, bud etc

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    Mute Johnny
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:06 AM

    But still worth paying a bit extra for? I’m not convinced.

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    Mute David Thomas
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:25 AM

    All these so called “premium beers” are often just the standard lagers in their own country. I have some Italian friends and they say peroni is one of the cheaper lagers in Italy.

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    Mute thetruth
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:38 AM

    Roland. Try morretti especiale. Blows the nastro out of the water. Fantastic beer

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    Mute Johnny
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:45 AM

    That’s completely true David. Seem to have a lot more red thumbs than expected. I can find no reason why it would be priced above Heineken or carlsberg. Or even carling/fosters for that matter. It’s pretty much the same style beer using similar techniques for mass production. It doesn’t use any special ingredients, maybe perhaps a bit more alcohol content but this shouldn’t be enough for the price hike. Perhaps I’ve turned into a beer nerd over the past years with my preference for German Weiss and local craft beers but even these compare in price more favourably than peroni and these are definitely far superior. I guess tastes vary so people will have their own opinion. I for one won’t fall for the marketing. Well at least not that marketing

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    Mute Shane Kinsella
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:35 PM

    Peroni is a far a nicer beer than the usual shite we get over here, like the bud and Heineken crap.

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    Mute thetruth
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    Oct 14th 2014, 1:00 PM

    A few great beers ive come across in the last yr or so. St. Mels are lovely and so are mc graths. Very good craft beers

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    Mute Raymond Connolly
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:11 AM

    Beer….. My one weakness.

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    Mute Seán A Haon
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    Oct 14th 2014, 1:51 PM

    The cause of and solution to all of life’s problems.

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    Mute Very fond of
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:27 AM

    Bottle of Grolsch = a thing of beauty.

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    Mute Karl Johnston
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:24 AM

    Italian beer……… hahaha haha. :-/

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    Mute tax slave
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:03 PM

    Thy make great pizza them Italians but don’t know about there beer tho

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    Mute Range Rover P38
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    Oct 14th 2014, 2:03 PM

    Red Peroni = no hangover.

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