Colombia has arrested a suspected British drug trafficker who they described as “invisible” because of his discreet lifestyle which allowed him to remain anonymous while operating as coordinator of a drug trafficking cartel. cocaine from this South American country to the United Kingdom, authorities announced Friday.
Christopher Neil was arrested on Thursday in Medellin, in the northwest of the country, during an operation carried out by local law enforcement and Interpol. They accused Neil of working for the Colombian company Clan del Golfo Cartel (Gulf Clan).
Colombian authorities coined the term “invisible drug traffickers” to describe those who operate discreetly and lead ordinary, discreet lives that contrast with the eccentricity of the country’s drug lords in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Colombian National Police said Neil had been living in Colombia since December 2018. The agency said he was wanted in the United Kingdom, where he faces trafficking and money laundering charges.
Police said they followed a car driving through Medellin before stopping Neil. They said a multi-million dollar transaction between the UK and Colombia played a key role in the suspect’s arrest.
/PA
It was unclear Friday whether Neil had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
The arrest comes just weeks after Italian police announced arrest in Colombia of a dangerous fugitive accused of being the intermediary between the Latin American country’s drug cartels and the Naples mafia. By announcing his arrest, the Italian police posted a photo from the Belvedere visiting the tomb of Pablo Escobar, the founder and boss of the Medellin cartel, killed by police in 1993.
Earlier this year, a Norwegian dubbed “The Professor” accused of leading a criminal network that trafficked cocaine from South America to Europe on sailboats. captured in Colombia. Police said Pazooki Farhad, like Neil, also had criminal links with the Gulf clan.
In 2022, the Gulf Clan closed dozens of cities in northern Colombia for four days in reaction to the fact that its leader was extradited to the United States to stand trial. He warned that anyone disobeying the stay-at-home order risked being shot or having their vehicle set on fire.