The U.S. Border Patrol arrested a Colombian gangster at the El Paso, Texas, border and found torture videos on his phone, as well as tattoos that pledged allegiance to the Clan del Golfo cartel.
The unidentified man was arrested on March 14 and was announced Wednesday on X by USBP Chief Jason Owens along with photos of him.
Owens said that as the Colombian citizen attempted to enter the United States illegally, agents searched him and his phone and discovered photos “of people being tortured.”
“He also had specific tattoos indicating gang affiliation (Clan del Golfo),” Owens said.
The Clan del Golfo cartel, or Gulf Clan, is Colombia’s largest drug trafficking gang, known for being the largest distributor of cocaine in the South American country.
A Colombian man was arrested at the border in El Paso, Texas, while trying to enter the United States illegally. Officers searched him and his phone and found photos “of people being tortured.”
USBP Chief Jason Owens said the man also had specific tattoos indicating gang affiliation (Clan del Golfo).
DailyMail.com contacted the US Border Patrol for more information on the man who was arrested, but did not receive a response in time for this report.
Former cartel leader Dairo Antonio Úsuga was captured and arrested in October 2021 and extradited to the United States in May 2022 after sending tons of cocaine into the country.
On January 25, 2023, Dairo Antonio Úsuga, also known as “Otoniel,” pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking charges.
The Colombian man who was arrested is seen up close in a photo with a teardrop tattoo under his eye and a money bag tattoo between his eyebrows.
He pleaded guilty to directing a criminal enterprise, participating in a maritime narcotics conspiracy and participating in a narcotics importation conspiracy.
In addition to admitting that he oversaw the smuggling, Úsuga also acknowledged that “there was a lot of violence.”
During his trial, U.S. District Court Judge Dora Irizarry called him “more prolific” than the late Pablo Escobar.
Úsuga said he “accepted responsibility for the crimes I committed” during his sentencing.
“I apologize to the governments of the United States and Colombia and to the victims of the crimes I committed,” Úsuga said through a court interpreter.
The New York judge sentenced him to 45 years in prison on each count, with the sentences running concurrently.
He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and agreed, as part of his plea deal, to pay $216 million in forfeiture.
Former cartel boss Dairo Antonio Úsuga was captured and arrested in October 2021 and extradited to the United States in May 2022 after sending tons of cocaine into the country.
In sentencing Úsuga, Judge Irizarry called extraordinary the nearly 100,000 kg (220,500 pounds) of cocaine he shipped to the United States while running the Clan del Golfo cartel.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement that the misery wrought by Úsuga’s “incredibly violent, vengeful and bloody reign” may never be fully calculated.
He added that the lengthy sentence “sends a message to other paramilitary and cartel leaders that the United States will seek to arrest and extradite them in order to hold them accountable in our courts.”
Úsuga ordered the killing of suspected enemies — one of whom was tortured, buried alive and beheaded — and terrorized the general public, prosecutors say.
Texas, California and Arizona have seen an increase in illegal migrants entering the United States under President Joe Biden.
A federal appeals court issued an order blocking Texas from arresting migrants suspected of entering the United States illegally – just hours after the Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the strict new law to take effect on immigration.
A federal appeals court issued an order blocking Texas from arresting migrants suspected of entering the United States illegally – just hours after the Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the strict new law to take effect on immigration.
The SCOTUS decision meant that Texas cops would be authorized to arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally, giving local officers powers long delegated to the federal government.
Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Bárcena said in a categorical statement that she would refuse to take back anyone who is ordered to leave the country under state law and that she “categorically rejects » any state or local government enforcement of immigration laws.
“Mexico reiterates its legitimate right to protect the rights of its nationals in the United States and to determine its own policies regarding entry into its territory,” they said.
He further condemned the Texas law’s entry into force, saying it would criminalize migrants and lead to family separation, discrimination and racial profiling.