Colombia arrests 217 suspected members of top drug cartel

Colombian authorities said on 5th May they had captured over 200 members of the country's biggest drug cartel, which is accused of murdering two dozen security force members in the past month. The Gulf Clan was born out of the right-wing paramilitary groups that fought leftist guerrillas in the 1990s before turning their attention to the cocaine trade.

At a press conference on Monday, the Colombian Armed Forces chief said the security forces had responded by arresting 217 members of the clan since April 15. He added that 15 other suspected drug traffickers had been shot dead in raids that had netted 6.8 metric tons of drugs, 123 firearms and over 15,000 munitions.