Alleged drug lord nabbed in Torti

Arcángel de Jesús Henao Montoya had just sat down for breakfast with 27 members of his extended family at the Nueva Esperanza farm in Torti when his new hopes were dashed.

Henao Montoya, alias “El Mocho,” is said to have been the leader of Colombia’s Norte del Valle Cauca drug cartel and was wanted by US law enforcement authorities, who claim that between 1982 and 1999 he and his confederates exported drugs to the United States and Europe. Colombian police estimate the scale of the export operation that he ran at more than eight tons of cocaine per year. The US warrant alleged drug trafficking, conspiracy and money laundering, while back in Colombia Henao Montoya was wanted not only for drug trafficking but also in connection with the 1989 Trujillo Massacre, in which 133 campesinos were murdered.

Last year, after negotiations for a surrender to Colombian authorities in exchange for a lower sentence and a guarantee not to be extradited to the United States failed, Henao Montoya slipped into Panama using a falsified passport. He opened bank accounts here and bought several Panama City apartments, businesses, a fleet of cars, a dozen paso fino horses, a herd of cattle and at least two farms in Torti, which is in Panama province’s Chepo district, adjacent to Darien province.

But that life of luxury came to an end on January 11, when Panamanian police raided the Nueva Esperanza farm as Henao Montoya and his immediate family, and his sister and her immediate family, sat down for breakfast. In all, 28 people were taken into custody, most of them children.

Four days after the arrest “El Mocho” was summarily extradited to the United States. The procedure, in which the Panamanian courts did not get involved, is provided for in a bilateral US-Panamanian anti-drug treaty that allows for such expedited methods in cases involving drug suspects who are citizens of third countries. Henao Montoya was put onto a DEA plane and taken directly to New York, where the US charges against him were filed.

The American charges that had been lodged against the suspected drug lord could result in multiple life sentences. However, if they are amended to allege that the Trujillo Massacre or any other death arose from Henao Montoya’s drug trafficking activities, he could face the death penalty under the federal “drug kingpin” law.

Meanwhile in Panama, “El Mocho’s” sister and brother-in-law were held on drug charges and the rest of the family members who were arrested in the raid were quickly deported to Colombia. None of those who were sent back to Colombia were held by authorities there because there are no charges pending against them in that country.

Also in this section:
Panama News Briefs
PRD picks its slate
Alleged drug lord nabbed here, sent to US
On the campaign trail
FARC leader's bust in Ecuador and what it means for Panama

news

Colombian drug suspect’s
“new hope” dashed

news

Colombian drug suspect’s “new hope” dashed

Colombian drug suspect’s
“new hope” dashed