Colombian drug boss surrenders to U.S. officialsOctober 5, 2012 - 11:33 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Suspected Colombian drug trafficker Luis Enrique Calle has surrendered to U.S. drug enforcement officials in Panama, Colombia's defense minister said on Thursday, Oct 4, according to Reuters. "These criminals have no option. The pressure by the security forces leaves them no room and that's why they end up handing themselves in," Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon told a press conference in Bogota. Calle, 36, is considered the leader of "Los Rastrojos" (The Leftovers), a violent criminal network that controls some smuggling routes and sends several metric tons of cocaine to the United States annually. High-ranking Colombian police officials said several drug traffickers in the Andean country are in talks to turn themselves in to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents. The DEA is offering lighter jail sentences in the United States if the traffickers provide officials information about other drug kingpins and their smuggling routes. Luis Enrique is the third Calle brother arrested this year for drug trafficking. The U.S. government was offering $2.7 million for his capture. Javier Antonio Calle surrendered to DEA agents in Aruba in May. His brother Juan Carlos was arrested in Ecuador in March. As leaders of the Rastrojos, the brothers gained control of critical routes along Colombia's Pacific coast and cemented ties with Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel. Aided by billions of dollars in U.S. aid, Colombia, one of the world's biggest cocaine exporters, has made strides in recent years against Marxist guerrillas and paramilitary groups that finance themselves with drug sales. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |