US Judge Sentences Notorious Colombian Drug Lord ‘Otoniel’ to 45 Years in Prison

Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias “Otoniel,” leader of the violent Clan del Golfo cartel, is presented to the media at a military base in Necocli, Colombia, on Oct. 23, 2021. Colombian presidential press office via AP

A notorious Colombian drug lord once branded “more prolific” than Pablo Escobar was sentenced to 45 years in prison on Aug. 8 on multiple charges, including “engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise as a leader of the multibillion-dollar paramilitary and drug trafficking organization,” prosecutors announced.

Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, also known as “Otoniel,” 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry to 45 years behind bars for engaging in a maritime narcotics conspiracy and 45 years imprisonment for engaging in a narcotics importation conspiracy.