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Colombia seizes drug lord Otoniel and announces he will be extradited to the US

The BBC reported, Colombia has announced that the country's most wanted drug trafficker will be extradited to the US after his capture on Saturday.
It said that Dairo Antonio Úsuga, , better known as Otoniel, was seized after a joint army, air force and police operation.
The BBC mentioned that Antonio led the country's largest criminal gang and has been on the US Drug Enforcement Agency's most wanted list for years.
It added, the US officials had placed a $5m (£3.6m) bounty on his head.
They accused him of importing at least 73 metric tonnes of cocaine into the country between 2003 and 2014.

Colombia's Defence Minister Diego Molano told El Tiempo newspaper that the next step for officials was to comply with the US extradition order.
According to newspaper El Nuevo Siglo, authorities have now taken Otoniel to a military base in the capital Bogotá ahead of his extradition.
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According to the BBC, President Iván Duque hailed the drug lord's capture in a televised video message.
He said: "This is the biggest blow against drug trafficking in our country this century, adding that: "This blow is only comparable to the fall of Pablo Escobar in the 1990s."
How was he caught?
The BBC reported that Otoniel was captured in his rural hideout in Antioquia province in north-western Colombia, close to the border with Panama.
It mentioned that the operation involved 500 soldiers supported by 22 helicopters. One police officer was killed.
Otoniel had used a network of rural safe houses to move around and evade the authorities, and did not use a phone, instead relying on couriers for communication.
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In the past, police have found special orthopaedic mattresses for Otoniel in these sparse homes, as he suffered back pain from a herniated disc.
Police chief Jorge Vargas has said the drug lord was fearful of capture, "never approaching inhabited areas".
But El Tiempo reported that authorities managed to pinpoint the location where he was eventually captured two weeks ago.
Chief Vargas said his movements were traced by more than 50 signal intelligence experts using satellite imagery. US and UK agencies were involved in the search.
Mr Duque described the operation as "the biggest penetration of the jungle ever seen in the military history of our country".
Colombia's armed forces later released a photo showing its soldiers guarding Otoniel, who was in handcuffs and wearing rubber boots.
There have been several huge operations involving thousands of officers to capture the 50-year-old in recent years.
Source: BBC
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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