A top Colombian drug lord was captured in Venezuela over the weekend, officials from both countries confirmed Monday. Intelligence provided to Venezuelan authorities by Colombian police led to the arrest of Maximiliano Bonilla Orozco, also known as El Valenciano, Sunday night in Valencia.
Orozco, 39, is believed to be the top leader of the Medellin-based gang Oficina de Envigado. The gang controls major drug trafficking routes from Colombia to the United States. Describing Orozco as a “high value target for Colombia and the entire world,” Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos praised Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for the capture.
"He is one of the most recognizable drug traffickers who has caused terrible damage to our country," President Santos said in a news conference in Caracas. "This shows that if we work together, if our police enforcement work together, we will get better results."
President Chavez vowed to continue fighting drug traffickers. "Under no circumstance have we or will we allow drug trafficking, paramilitary or armed groups of any kind to violate our territory,” he said.
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